Pokémon Scarlet & Violet's DLC Catches An International Physical Release This November

Disappointing, but that seems to be the norm for Pokemon these days. Seems clear they are just pushing this half-baked release out for the holiday season. The Pokemon cog has to stay on schedule.

Ok, that's a bit weird...

I can understand a package deal of the base game and all the DLC, but with only the first part of the DLC, and download the rest later seems rather superfluous to me.

Mmm this is not the release I was expecting, unlike Pokémon Sword/Shield and their Expansion Pass.

There was a Sword/Shield physical release that had the complete game on it, with both expansion packs.

Scarlet/Violet continues a track record of not doing anything right.

They’ll probably put out a separate release when the full DLC is available too. If there’s one company who completely epitomises quantity over quality, it’s Game Freak.

ONLY 100 pokeballs

What other incentives do you have please, GameFreak?

Very happy I totally skipped this game and this god awful cash grab of a franchise.

I completely regret buying this game as the 2nd pick from my NSO vouchers after getting Splatoon 3. Really enjoyed Arceus and my daughter played Gen 8 to death with the DLC so I thought it would be a good buy. Hard pass on the DLC.

That's what I'd get if they ever fixed the technical issues.

Any idea of how much it costs? Curious if anyone who buys it will make a saving, but knowing Nintendo's pricing policy I doubt it...

As I see it, to get the game without the DLC is to get an incomplete game without most of the intended features.

I still remember a time that Game Freak would add features to an incomplete game, then sell it again without raising the price. The good ol' days...

@RupeeClock They did the same thing with Sword & Shield, nothing surprising here.
And the second DLC is included, as the news say.

@LadyCharlie I guess that's because the whole DLC for S&S was already released by the time the physical edition came out (also in november, as everything Pokemon related). It's not the case with this one.

THANK MY UNDECIDENESS!

Well this is a monkey's paw moment. This is technically what I was waiting for, but it doesn't ship with Indigo Disk. Sword/Shield + the DLC was a limited time release (AND had the main meat minus QoL updates, I'll add), so now I'm wondering if I should just cave for this or wait to see if there's a truly complete package...or import if TPC is pulling a Capcom like with Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney Trilogy.

I recently started playing Violet for the first time and I have been really enjoying it! I kind of feel bad for not getting it sooner, but there we go. This combo pack will be great for fellow first-timers! ^_^

The game's cover is already ugly, now it gets worse... And this DLC is worthless, just to add the missing Pokémon and 3 hours of a poorly done story. 😑

@EaglyBird A lot of "definitive" editions these days like Final Fantasy XV Royal Edition, Fallout 4 GotY edition, etc, actually have the dlc on a download code. Still sucks though no doubt. Could they really not have just launched this on the same day as the second part of the DLC???

@MysticX In fairness, that's what the last "Complete" edition of Pokémon did (the updates that followed release forced a download of the DLCs, even if they were available on the cart).

@RupeeClock actually, the comment that replied to you is right, in a way. The subsequent updates for that cartridge actually forced you to download the data for the DLCs, even if they already had it. I have both Shield (from launch, with the DLC purchased) and Sword (from the Complete package) and both have in-or-around the same amount of data on the latest patches.

Come to think of it, what is it with Nintendo (Pokémon ownership discrepancies aside) and their seemingly recent decisions to release incomplete Definitive Editions?

I mean, Japan is getting Mario Kart 8 Deluxe + Booster Course Pass minus Wave 6 and now we're getting Pokémon Scarlet/Violet with The Teal Mask but not The Indigo Disc.

This is one thing Nintendo was doing right, releasing complete editions with their DLCs included on the cartridge, it happened with Tetris 99, Snipperclips Plus, Pokémon Sword/Shield, Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Splatoon 2. Though the Zelda and Splatoon ones were only in Japan.

@Rob3008 When Sword and Shield + DLC were released on a cart, the game cost 89.99 USD, being the 59.99 base game cost, and the 30 dollar DLC cost. I would expect the exact same pricing here.

I think I'll wait next year, when they'll re-re-release the physical version with the full DLC.

I liked the main game but I was hoping they’d address the visuals, bugs, and performance issues. As it is, it’s a great game that is plagued by a ton of technical issues.

However, I’ve heard nothing but bad to mediocre things about the DLC, both online and from friends. The DLC is a hard pass for me, and this “physical” edition not including all of it on the cart is a joke.

I get they want a holiday release, and this makes sense financially. But it’s a slap in the face to series fans and collectors.

They didn't want to put the Indigo Disc on the cart because it would have been hacked and spoiled before the official release.

They should wait until the second DLC is ready to launch then release the games with All DLC inside the cartridge.
We got it.
They really want to tell us to get immersed in digital only stuffs so they want to destroy our dream to get all contents inside physical release.

i ended up not buying this game because I remember getting burned with sword/shield and then reselling thme for "the full editions". Now this one that I've been waiting for will not even have the full DLC on the cart? What is the point then?

I wish they would do a physical of the DLC alone. I really don’t want that banner plastered on to my box art.

Are you kidding me - I and plenty of others bought the DLC separately and now they will release with DLC package?

This is so freaking infuriating. What the hell is the rush?! First Mario Kart 8, now this!?

I would expect this sort of anti-consumer contempt from other publishers, but Nintendo are really testing my patience with these BS decisions, especially when they're charging in excess of AU$130 for it! (while virtually any other publisher would issue a GOTY edition for more or less the same price as the base game was at launch!)

I'm going to hold out for a reprint with ALL of the DLC on the cart, but the Sword/Shield DLC only had a single print (which had Version 1.3.0 on the cartridge, while current prints of the base game have the latest version, being 1.3.2).

If, however, like Sword/Shield, this is the only print that allows one to access the expansion content physically, then I will begrudingly before it disappears from shelves forever, but it definitely won't be a day one buy like the complete editions of Sword/Shield were 3 years ago.

@Fizza : And all of the software updates too. The complete BOTW cartridge requires no downloads whatsoever.

@Mrkittyhead : I think the additional content should have been a standalone game to begin with, and likewise of the Sword/Shield DLC, seeing the gameplay/story had virtually no connection to mainland Galar.

Sounds like a decent deal for those of us without Scarlet/Violet yet. At least, I hope this isn't just the price of the main games + DLC.

@Sisilly_G "What the hell is the rush". I bet they wanted to rush it out before the holidays. I'm conflicted as well. I'm not sure if it is even worth it, if half the DLC is a one time download. I held out thus far, but I really doubt they're going to do ANOTHER print with all of the DLC on there... Maybe on the Switch 2, but the rate Pokemon chugs out games I think they will honestly already be moved on to the next project. Whereas Tears of the Kingdom is something I see definetly getting re-released on that console.

@SS25 : The whole Christmas rush thing doesn't make much sense as they could just bundle/repackage the existing SKUs with a download code and save the proper physical release for early next year.

Either way, I'll hold out for a reprint, though it seems doubtful that one will materialise (it didn't for Sword/Shield), but I don't want to pay AU$129 each for them either. Had they been an honest release with everything on the cart, I would not have hesitated otherwise.

Similarly, I'm also hoping for a reprint of the Japanese Mario Kart 8 Deluxe DLC cartridge.

But if no such reprint materialises (and it will be a gamble either way as I won't know whether I've bought a reprint until I pop the cartridge in), I do intend to buy them either way, but I'm still p'ed off about the whole situation.

It wouldn't surprise me to see some enhanced versions of Switch games for the successor, but I certainly do not look forward to playing a game as big as Tears of the Kingdom again.

@Sisilly_G thanks for getting back and sharing. i wouldn't have hesitated either. I think for me it will come down to whether the "download" is on the cartridge itself or if its a one time download code (meaning it will be useless for reselling or sharing with a friend). I'm not sure how it will work out.

@SS25 : The DLC will be on the cartridge insofar as the flag that enables you to access it. All of the DLC is already included in the software update whether you've purchased the DLC or not. The "DLC" purchase merely grants you access to that content.

It's infinitely superior to having a one time download code, to be sure, but it's still really scummy of Nintendo to release this before the entirety of the DLC was ready.

The Japanese Mario Kart 8 Expansion cartridge operates in the same way as it launched before the completion of Wave 6 (which is still yet to be released).

@Sisilly_G ah I see, thanks for clearing that up. I'll probably bite in that case. Do you know if the Japanese versions will have no issues accessing that additional data on an NA/PAL Switch? Or is there some trickery where you need to make a seperate Japanese eshop account and then the data is tied to that(rather just have all my purchases and downloads tied to my main account personally)? It is funny because on playasia the Japanese versions are significantly cheaper than the English versions. (Both MK and Pokemon are basically the base price while the North American Pokemon is $95 + change)

I don't think it will happen for either of them, but I definetly see some kind of definitive with all of the DLC version to be much more likely with Mario Kart. Since it isn't a global release and theres always the possibility of them just rereleaseing that variant on the next Switch. (though I don't think this will happen as MK8 is already a re-release in itself ;p) With Pokemon they just move on to the next thing so quickly . kind of just rambled here so sorry if everything was super sporadic and thanks for bearing with me haha

No, because the DLC is tied to the cartridge, not your Nintendo account, so your eShop's region is completely irrelevant. Software updates also do not require a specific region's eShop account and will download by default.

Your concern would only be a problem if you import a physical release from another region, and for some reason, the version on the cartridge is different to that which is being sold in your region's eShop (in which case, the DLC would not work). This generally shouldn't be a problem, but there are outliers.

Scarlet/Violet should essentially be the same internationally, no matter where you import it from, and I too noticed that the Japanese release was a tad cheaper, so it may be worth importing if you don't mind the Japanese packaging.

Incidentally, these bundles typically include codes for things like bonus outfits/items as well, but because these codes are redeemed in-game via Mystery Gift as opposed to via the eShop, you will not need a Japanese eShop account in order to make use of such codes.

@Sisilly_G thanks so much again for all the info. Yeah the Japanese release is only 66% as much as the NA/English version which is wild. So that is good info to know theres no downsides other than packaging. (both are pretty damn ugly, it would be nice if they at least made this premium editions less of an eyesore lol.)

@SS25 : You're very welcome.

I'm hoping that they will drop to around AU$100 or less (full retail is AU$132.45 here), but I would rather hold out for a reprint (but I am not terribly optimistic seeing as the Sword/Shield Expansion physical release didn't get one).