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You know it, we know it, everyone knows it: Game Freak's decision to cut a large portion of the complete roster from Pokémon Sword and Shield caused an awful lot of controversy ahead of the games' launch. It appears that the Pokémon developer has started something of a U-turn, however, by revealing that more than 200 old favourites will be returning.

The news comes from today's Pokémon Direct; while discussing the huge-looking Expansion Pass that has been announced for Sword and Shield, Game Freak's Shigeru Ohmori said that "200+ well-known Pokémon" are set to return.

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We don't have a full list of the special, chosen 200, but this section of the Direct has been expanded upon in an official press release. We thought we'd share that with you below:

MORE PAST POKÉMON AVAILABLE TO OBTAIN IN POKÉMON SWORD AND POKÉMON SHIELD

Many Pokémon that didn’t originally appear in Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield make their homes on the Isle of Armor and the Crown Tundra. Trainers will meet a lively array of diverse Pokémon, from newly discovered Legendary Pokémon and new regional forms to familiar Pokémon that have been seen living in other regions.

Free updates are also planned for Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield to coincide with the release of these expansions. Updates are scheduled for the same days that The Isle of Armor and The Crown Tundra expansions are released. Each of these updates will enable players who haven’t purchased an Expansion Pass to receive Pokémon that will be added via The Isle of Armor and The Crown Tundra expansions through means such as trading.

If you don't want to fork out for the new Expansion Pass, you can still get the new (but old) 'mon in your copy of Sword and Shield. As noted in the statement above, a free update for all players will allow you to trade with players who do own the new content, and you'll also be able to bring over qualifying past Pokémon using the upcoming Pokémon Home service.

Are you happy with the decision to bring back some more of the National Dex? Are you annoyed that they weren't in it from the start, or will you take what you can get? Let's chat all things Pokémon in the comments.