Pokémon Sword and Shield News
February2023
News Here Are The Top Ten Best-Selling Nintendo Switch Games As Of December 2022
Pokémon Scarlet & Violet make the cut
Nintendo has released its latest financial report for the fiscal year ending March 2023, which brings with it updated sales figures for the Switch's best sellers. And there's a brand new game in the top ten. Pokémon Scarlet & Violet has smashed into the list in seventh place. selling a staggering 20.61...
December2022
Back Page "My Uncle Works At Nintendo" - The Man, The Myth, And The Mendacity
It’s all lies… until it’s all true
In the magazine business, the Back Page is where you'd find all the weird goofs that we couldn't fit in anywhere else. Some may call it "filler"; we prefer "a whole page to make terrible jokes that are tangentially related to the content of the mag". We don't have (paper) pages on the internet, but we still...
November2022
UK Charts Pokémon Scarlet And Violet Enjoy The Second Biggest Franchise Launch Of All Time
First week sales 25% higher than Sword and Shield
The latest boxed charts data is in and, as expected, it's a big win for the recently released Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, with both entries coming in at number one and two. In terms of which of the two proved more popular, it seems most opted for Violet and its Legendary Pokémon Miraidon, with...
News Pokémon Sword And Shield's Latest Limited-Time Distribution Event Gets Online Access
European trainers can grab a Shiny Eternatus for free
The latest limited-time distribution event is well underway for Pokémon Sword and Shield in Europe, with Game stores providing codes for a Shiny Eternatus. While these codes have been available in-store only for the past few weeks, the retailer is now offering the chance to get your hands on...
October2022
News Glastrier And Spectrier Now Appearing In Pokémon Sword And Shield Max Raid Battles
The final Max Raid event?
Pokémon Sword and Shield has begun what could be its final Max Raid Battle event, with Glastrier and Spectrier headlining the roster that you can face. The event runs from today until 23rd October, 2022, so you'll have to act fast to get involved. The two legendary Pokémon will not be catchable during the battles, but...
News Pokémon Sword & Shield Ending Updates For Certain Online Services Next Month
"Most features will remain"
In the lead-up to the release of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet next month, The Pokémon Company has announced it will end support for specific online services in the previous generation of games Pokémon Sword and Shield. As explained via Serebii.net, the "Wild Area news" is set to receive a final update on 1st November,...
News New Limited-Time Pokémon Sword And Shield Retail Distribution Event Announced (NA, AU, NZ)
Your chance to get Genesect, Volcanion, and Marshadow
Two new in-store distribution events have been announced for Pokémon Sword & Shield by The Pokémon Company. And it's North America, Australia, and New Zealand's turn to get some rare Mythical Pokémon. In a repeat of Europe's event from September, trainers will be able to get their hands...
September2022
Reminder New Limited-Time Pokémon Sword And Shield Distribution Now Live (North America)
Receive a Shiny Eternatus
Update [Tue 20th Sep, 2022 03:05 BST]: The event to receive a Shiny Eternatus is now live in North America. Unfortunately, it's been delayed until early October in Australia and New Zealand (via Vooks.net): Original article [Tue 13th Sep, 2022 03:45 BST]: Despite the fact we'r
News Limited-Time Pokémon Sword And Shield Distribution Event Continues, Final Code Live
Update: Ash's last Pokémon is ready!
Update #4: The very last code, Ash's Lucario, is live! You can grab this Fighting/Steel-type Pokémon now until 29th September — HAD0UW0CATCH. Happy training! Update #3: The code for Ash's Sirfetch'd is now live until 22nd September — H1SSATSUNEG1. Treat it well! Update #3: The code for Ash's Gengar is now...
News New Limited-Time Pokémon Sword And Shield Distribution Announced For Europe
Get Genesect, Volcanion, and Marshadow this month
Update: We've included a few more retailers in the list below! Generation IX might be on the horizon, but Pokémon Trainers across the world are still busy catching and battling 'em all in Pokémon Sword & Shield, and it looks like Europe, in particular, will need to head back to Galar again to...
Random Is Masahiro Sakurai Throwing Shade At Pokémon's Trees?
"Don't just make a tree and be done with it"
Over the past few weeks, veteran game developer Masahiro Sakurai has been posting videos to his YouTube channel 'Masahiro Sakurai on Creating Games', detailing various aspects of game development and how aspiring creators can apply it to their own work (don't worry though, we won't be covering all of them...
August2022
Round Up Pokémon World Championships 2022 - Was It Worth The Three-Year Wait?
Pokkén and Sword & Shield have left the building
It has been three years since the last Pokémon World Championships, so the excitement for the 2022 event had been building for a long while. For the first time ever, the Pokémon World Championships were held outside of North America, taking place in the UK at the ExCeL London and it brought...
News A New Limited-Time Pokémon Distribution Event Has Been Announced For Japan
A Clefairy for Sword, Shield, BD, SP & Arceus Legends
Although there's already a limited-time Pokémon Sword and Shield distribution event taking place, The Pokémon Company has announced one. This time it's a "special Clefairy". The catch is it's a Japan-only distribution... at least for now. This event will run from 3rd September - 11th September...
Talking Point Which Nintendo Series Would Work Best As A Free-To-Play Game?
Hear us out! We've got some good ideas!
Live service, free-to-play games are the new hotness. With massive fanbases built around games like Genshin Impact, Destiny, and Fortnite, which are regularly updated with new characters, content, and quests, it's easy to see how other game development studios might be tempted over to the dark side...
Guide Pokémon Sword And Shield Codes: Full List Of Mystery Gift Codes
All the current Pokémon Sword and Shield Mystery Gift codes
If you've played through the main game in Pokémon Sword and Shield, one character you should remember is the Ball Guy who appears at every stadium in the game and gives you unique Poké Balls every time you see him. Well, last year he began giving out codes on social media for Mystery...
Random Pokémon Distribution Event At The World Championships Is Appropriately British
Fancy a cuppa?
Distribution events for Pokémon Sword & Shield are still ongoing, almost three years after the game's release. At the moment, you can get Dracovish, and for the next few weeks, you'll be able to acquire Ash's entire team from the anime. Further reading - A New Limited-Time Pokémon Sword And Shield Distribution Event Has Been...
Soapbox For A Jaded Pokémon Fan, Scarlet And Violet Is Exactly What I Need
Just when I thought I was out... They pull me back in
For many years now, I've been buying the mainline Pokémon games primarily out of some twisted sense of obligation. Back in 1999, Pokémon Red and Blue launched at the perfect time for me; I was ten at the time of its release and had already gotten a good sense of what Pokémon was all about...
News Here Are The Top Ten Best-Selling Nintendo Switch Games As Of June 2022
No major changes from last time
Nintendo's latest financial report is now live, and with it, we've got an updated list of the total sales figures for the best-selling Switch games. We say updated, but there's been absolutely no change between this quarter and last quarter in terms of placements! We're pretty sure that Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Animal...
July2022
Random This Giant Inteleon Plush Is The Most Threatening Pokémon Merch Ever
It's the eyes!
The starter trio for Pokémon Sword & Shield are a pretty unusual bunch. You have Rillaboom, a taiko-drumming gorilla; Cinderace, a soccer-playing bunny; and lastly, Inteleon, a secret agent. Inteleon quickly became a pretty meme-able Pokémon back when the games were released in 2019, but we think it's time to give this lanky...
Feature Dynamax Ain’t That Bad - Pokemon’s Recent Battle Mechanics Ranked
VGC pro Wolfe Glick talks Mega Evolutions, Z-Moves, and Dynamax
From Generation III onward, Game Freak has altered Pokémon’s core battle mechanics in some way or another. Double Battles and the Physical/Special move split fundamentally changed the way people play Pokémon both casually and competitively, but it’s the latter three — Mega...
June2022
News A New Limited-Time Pokémon Sword & Shield Shiny Clefairy Distribution Has Started
Get it while you can!
Update [Sat 18th Jun, 2022 03:05 BST]: Here's the code you'll need to unlock this Shiny Clefairy: APC2021CHAMP Original article [Wed 15th Jun, 2022 04:45 BST]: Following on from a few limited-time weekend giveaways, The Pokémon Company has now announced another one for Pokémon Sword and Shield. This time around it's a S
Feature A Pokémon Retrospective: Generation 8 – 2019 To 2022
Gen-erally speaking
Six years ago, running up to Pokémon’s 20th anniversary, we did a rundown of each of the generations of Pokémon, and then brought it back three years ago to cover Generation 7. Now, we’re truly in the news cycle for Generation 9's Pokémon Scarlet & Violet, so it’s time to take a look back at the last three years,...
News The Switch Has Now Sold Over 25 Million Units In Japan
And Animal Crossing is still the best-selling game
In just over five years since it launched, the Switch has now sold 25 million units in Japan according to Famitsu. Just last month, the hybrid console overtook the 3DS to become the third best-selling console of all time in the country, and now it's smashed another milestone target. Shared on...
News New Limited-Time Pokémon Sword & Shield Distribution Events Have Started
Receive Grimmsnarl and Sableye
There are two new distribution events currently available in Pokémon Sword and Shield. First up we've got Grimmsnarl, given out during the Pokémon Trainers Cup stream. It's the one used by last year's Trainers Cup champion and is available until tomorrow June 12th. The code you'll need this time is: K0REACHAMP10N21...
News Pokémon Sword & Shield's Art Director Announces New Game Studio
Called 'All Possible Futures'
Pokémon artist James Turner — art director for Pokémon Sword & Shield and designer of fan favourites such as Gigantamax Gengar, Shadow Lugia (from Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness), and Sinistea/Polteageist — has announced that he's left Game Freak and is opening up a brand new game studio. Turner has already...
May2022
News A New Limited-Time Pokémon Sword And Shield Distribution Event Has Been Announced
Receive a champion Sableye this June
Pokémon Sword and Shield may no longer be the newest Pokémon game on Switch, but it's still receiving special limited-time events. The next one will be taking place between 11th and 12th June and will be a special distribution event for a Sableye based on the one used by the Japan Championships 2021 champion...
News Details On Xenoblade, Mana, Pokémon Alumni's New RPG 'Trinity Trigger' Leaked
Update: No longer PROJECT-TRITRI
Update [Mon 23rd May, 2022 15:30] Oopsie! Biccamera, an electronics retailer in Japan, has accidentally revealed PROJECT-TRITRI ahead of schedule. The game was originally going to be unveiled by FuRyu on 26th May, but in a slip-up, the Japanese retailer published the name, the release date, and a bunch of screenshots...
Random The Perfect Pokémon Graphics Don't Exi... Oh
Get ready... It's gorgeous
Pokémon games have had their fair share of criticism over the years, often specifically targeting their visuals. It seems like such criticism has only increased in time, too, with the likes of Pokémon Legends: Arceus, Pokémon Sword & Shield, and even the recently announced Pokémon Scarlet & Violet all receiving...
Back Page Pokémon Moms Speak Out About Palindromic Regions And Raising Champions
A trio of Pokémom
In the magazine business, the Back Page is where you'd find all the weird goofs that we couldn't fit in anywhere else. Some may call it "filler"; we prefer "a whole page to make terrible jokes that are tangentially related to the content of the mag". We don't have (paper) pages on the internet, but we still love terrible jokes...
News Grookey Is The Latest Pokémon To Join The Build-A-Bear Range
Available to order now
The Build-A-Bear line just keeps getting better and better. If you've already picked up the latest Sonic ones, you can now refocus your attention on the Pokémon line - with the release of Grookey. Yes, that's right - the Grass-Type monkey-like Pokémon is now available on the Build-A-Bear website in both the
April2022
News Here Are The Winners Of The 2022 Pokémon Europe International Championships
On the way to becoming real life Pokémon Masters
The 2022 Pokémon Europe International Championships took place this weekend. The tournament brought many Pokémon fans to Frankfurt, Germany for the very first International Championships of the 2022 season. If you're not in the know, the Championships pit players against each other in various...
News A New Limited-Time Pokémon Sword And Shield Distribution Event Has Begun
Get Dracovish while you can!
There's a new distribution event available in Pokémon Sword and Shield. It's only on offer until 25th April - so act fast! This time around it's a Dracovish. As explained by Serebii.net, this Pokémon is based on the same one used by 2020 Oceania International Champion. The code you'll need this time is: EU1C2022G1FT...
March2022
Feature 7 Reasons For Picking Starter Pokémon, But How Do You Pick Yours?
What's love got to do with it?
Pokémon Scarlet and Violet have finally been shown to the world and in spite of all the important debates whirling around the internet right now about the development team's enormous workload, concerned speculation over exactly how we're going to catch all of the new Pokémon this time around after Arceus' welcome re
February2022
News February 27th Is Pokémon Day, And We're Getting Announcements Every Day This Week
Starting with Pokémon Masters EX
February 27th is Pokémon Day, and The Pokémon Company has just revealed that we can look forward to a week of announcements leading up to that date. Starting from today – February 21st – we can expect the following titles and projects to get fresh news: February 21st: Pokémon Masters EX February 22nd:...
News Sword & Shield Becomes Second Best-Selling Pokémon Game Of All Time
Pokémon Gold and Silver have been surpassed
There's been a lot of good news about Pokémon Legends: Arceus this week, and to add to it - we've got some updated sales information about the previous mainline entry on the Switch, Pokémon Sword and Shield. Serebii webmaster Joe Merrick has highlighted how Sword and Shield have moved up the Pokémon...
January2022
Random These Pokémon Sword & Shield Game Boy Color Animations Look Amazing
Artist's nostalgic blasts are a viral hit
Ever wondered what more recent entries in the Pokémon franchise would look like if they'd released back in the 1990s on the good old Game Boy Color? Well, wonder no more, as talented pixel artist Sindorman has tweeted out a couple of fantastic recreations of some early moments from 2019's Pokémon Sword...
Gotta distribute 'em all
If you're on a mission to track down as many special Shiny Pokémon as possible in Pokémon Sword and Shield, then boy do we have good news for you. The Pokémon Company has revealed that it'll soon be giving players the chance to get their hands on Shiny versions of the Galarian versions of the famous Legendary bird trio...
News Pokémon Studio Staff "Experience Failure And Success" To Make Games That Players "Desire"
"The lack of knowledge and experience sometimes showed through"
Shigeru Omori (left) and Kazumasa Iwao (right) Pokémon studio Game Freak has posted an article on its recruitment website which goes into detail on the creation of Pokémon Sword & Shield, with director Shigeru Omori and planning director Kazumasa Iwao going into detail on how the...
December2021
Feature Where Does Competitive Pokémon Go From Here?
Aaron “Cybertron” Zheng on what the future holds
Two years have passed since Pokémon Sword and Shield inaugurated the eighth generation of Pokémon games. With it came indignation from some fans, though most agreed Sword and Shield didn’t flounder when it came to its competitive scene. Pokémon tournaments are played under the Video Game...
Guide The Switch Gamer’s Holiday Survival Guide For Festive Family Multiplayer Sessions
Tidings of comfort and Joy-Con
‘Tis the season of enforced family gatherings, far too much of every food imaginable, and TV schedules filled with unnecessary modern remakes of old favourites. It’s also the perfect opportunity to stuff a controller in granddad’s hands and demonstrate the joys of gaming with those who might normally avoid it,...
November2021
News The Pokémon Creative Team Has Been "Through A Lot" With Angry Fan Feedback
"We try to focus on making the core accessible to everyone"
Recent releases, and the reactions to those releases, point to The Pokémon Company facing an interesting challenge at it celebrates its 25th Anniversary. On the one hand the franchise is continually trying to grow and attract new fans of various ages; on the other there are Pokémon...
Claim them when the game launches next year
In the lead-up to the release of Pokémon Legends: Arceus early on in 2022, Nintendo and The Pokémon Company have been sharing new bits of information to remind Pokémon fans it's still on the way. The latest update via social media has now detailed what players will receive if they have existing...
Soapbox Can We Please Retire The Phrase 'Lazy Devs' Already?
A tough job under difficult circumstances
There’s one magic word that gets trotted out all the time in this hobby, a handy term used to describe all digital ills — lazy. ‘How did this bleh of a game end up on the eShop?’ ‘Who couldn’t be bothered to finish this puzzle / minigame / character’s face properly?’ ‘How much more effort...
News A New Limited-Time Pokémon Sword And Shield Charizard Distribution Has Begun
Get it while you can!
There's a new distribution event available in Pokémon Sword and Shield. It's only on offer until 3rd November - so act fast! This time around it's a Charizard. As explained by Serebii.net, this Pokémon has been given out to celebrate the winner of the Global Exhibition. The code you'll need this time is: GL0BALCHAMP2021...
October2021
News Pokémon Sword And Shield Shiny Zacian/Zamazenta Distribution Now Live In Europe, US And More
Here are all the details you need
The Pokémon Sword and Shield distribution allowing fans to pick up Shiny versions of both Zacian and Zamazenta is now live across Europe, the US, Canada, and select parts of Asia. We have all the currently-known details for you below, with thanks to Serebii for compiling parts of the list, and will make sure to...
News Pokémon Sword And Shield Shiny Zacian/Zamazenta Distribution Confirmed For US
Here's how to get them
Update: The distribution is now live across the US, Europe and more. Full details for all regions can be found here. After initially being revealed for South Korea, and then eventually
News Pokémon Sword And Shield's Dada Zarude And Shiny Celebi Distribution Is Rolling Out Right Now
Have you got yours?
The Pokémon Company has begun its distribution of special codes for Dada Zarude and Shiny Celebi, both of which are redeemable in Pokémon Sword and Shield. Fans who were signed up to The Pokémon Trainer Club newsletter by 25th September this year are eligible to receive both codes, and should now see an email in their inboxes...
News Pokémon Sword And Shield Shiny Zacian/Zamazenta Distribution Also Headed To Japan
Providing more hope for a worldwide release
The Pokémon Company has announced that Japanese Sword and Shield players will soon be able to get their hands on a shiny Zacian and Zamazenta for the very first time. Previously, the shiny Zacian and Zamazenta rollout had only been confirmed for South Korea, where fans who pre-order Pokémon Brilliant...
September2021
Here's hoping for a worldwide release
South Korean fans who pre-order the upcoming Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl games for Nintendo Switch will receive a shiny version of either Zacian or Zamazenta, it's been announced. As reported by Serebii, the shiny Pokémon will be distributed via a code given to any players who pre-order either...
News A New Limited-Time Pokémon Sword And Shield Distribution Event Has Been Announced
Will tie in with the upcoming movie release
Alongside the announcement of the new Pokémon movie coming to Netflix on 8th October, The Pokémon Company has also revealed a new distribution event is coming to the Switch games Pokémon Sword and Shield. As explained by Serebii.net, Dada Zarude and Shiny Celebi will be available to players through a...
