Pokemon Company will be doing a little cleanup in the spring, as it will remove certain online features from Pokemon Swords and Shield on November 1, 2022. Players will still be able to trade with each other and participate in Max Raid Battles. However, there will be no more Wild Area News updates. Players will also no longer be able to participate in ranked matches or online tournaments. [Thanks, Inside Games!]
News about the Wild Area is crucial to get some rare and Gigantamaxed versions of Pokemon. An example of this is Gigantamax Snorlax. Player wants to continue playing Sword and Shield future and no certain Gigantamax Pokemon might want to log in before the final update. For online battles, ranking season in Battle Stadium will no longer be updated after November 1st. You can still use all features of Y-Comm or host Friendly competitions. However, friendly competitions will not appear in Pokemon Home starting December 1, 2022.
Pokemon Swords and Shield originally launched in 2019 and forms the eighth generation of Pokemon Franchising. As of June 2022, the games are sold out 24.5 million copies worldwide, which makes it second generation of success behind Red and Blue. Some of the mechanics unique to the Galar region include camping (it’s an evolution of Pokemon Amie from X and Y) and the aforementioned Raid battles.
The latest games in Pokemon series, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet will launch on Nintendo Switch on November 18, 2022. Online features will be limited in Pokemon Sword and Shield on November 1, 2022.
