We realize that some franchises have incredible amounts of staying power, but we did not expect to see this amount of it from Pokémon. As kids, fads, and trends would come and go, such as Beyblades, Thomas the Tank, etc. So, even though we loved Pokémon Red and Blue, we knew it couldn't last forever. Yet here we are, more than 20 years later, and Pokémon is just as big a part of our lives as it was during the late '90s, if not bigger.
From Pokémon Let's Go! to Pokémon GO to the much-anticipated release of Sword and Shield later this year, there are more Pokémon games coming out right now than you can shake a stick at. That has also required the minds behind the brand to constantly invent more creatures for us to catch and train. If you have been out of the loop and haven't really played Pokémon since there were only 151 creatures to get to grips with, you might want to sit down for this next part.
At last count, there were a staggering 819 Pokémon altogether (that's including the new ones introduced as part of Sword and Shield). Honestly, we don't know where they keep getting ideas for new ones. Well, one of them is basically a trash bag, and Klefki is literally just a set of keys, but still, 819 is a crazy amount. What's even more surprising is that we are continually given the chance to track down every single Pokémon with every passing game, until now.
Nintendo has revealed that Sword and Shield will not feature a full Pokédex. That revelation has not sat well with a large chunk of its fans. Honestly, though, this has probably been a long time coming. There are more than 800 Pokémon, and by the time the rest of the eighth generation is added alongside the release of Sword and Shield, the total will likely surpass 900. There's only so much that developers can include in a single game, guys.
It isn't merely a case of grabbing all the Pokémon from the previous games and loading them up onto the next chapter. Although, an extremely pixelated, two-dimensional Lickitung wandering around the beautifully rendered Galar region would be kind of funny. With every passing game, not only are Pokémon's creators and developers burdened with inventing 100 or more brand new creatures, but they also have to basically recreate all of the old ones too. If Sword and Shield were to feature a full Pokédex, that's 807 Pokémon that need to be updated and introduced to a brand new world on a new platform with better graphics.
The graphics are just one of the worries Pokémon developers face when it comes to creating a new game. With new Pokémon come new moves, and maybe even new types. If those new moves are exclusive to the game's new creatures, players will question why Pokémon from previous generations can't learn them too. That means creating new mechanics and animations for every single Pokémon that should logically be able to use that new move. Do you see where we're going with this?
Basically, those complaining that the Pokédex should not be cut down for Sword and Shield should count their lucky stars that this didn't happen years ago. Really, the developers have shot themselves in the foot by not doing so from day one. Well, from the introduction of the second generation anyway. Even if that had not been the case, there have been plenty of chances to cut down the Pokédex before now.
Some of those aforementioned, extremely unimaginative Pokémon, for instance. Do they really need to be included in every game? Do you not think the creators of Luvdisc bang their heads against their desks every time they have to add it to a new game? Sword and Shield is their chance to take a break from that. Although, now that we have put this out into the universe, we'd bet our house that Luvdisc will be a part of the Sword and Shield Pokédex.
Some types are pretty overused, too. This is understandable since there are so many Pokémon now. However really, how many fire starters (feel free to insert your own Prodigy joke here) that evolve into fire/fighting types do we really need in our arsenal? Sword and Shield's Scorbunny will revisit that tried and true formula yet again later this year, so why not leave all the other Pokémon who have followed it behind - at least for this one game?
We currently live in a time where anything developers do, there will always be some who are unhappy with it. That has likely always been the case, but now, thanks to social media, those unhappy fans are able to make themselves heard. Yes, on the one hand, not being able to catch every Pokémon that has ever lived in Sword and Shield is a little disappointing. We're taking a glass half full approach, though. With less time being spent on redesigning hundreds of Pokémon, more time will be put into the game itself, plus the new Pokémon that have been created for Generation VIII.