During today’s Pokemon Presents showcase, several new details were revealed regarding Pokemon Legends: Arceus, as well as Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl. One of the most interesting details is that Ranked Battles will not be offered as part of either game’s online modes. Instead, that feature will continue to see support in Pokemon Sword and Shield. The feature’s absence has led to a lot of questions from fans about the future of competitive Pokemon. Some fans are understandably concerned that support for Ranked Battles might drop away entirely, while others believe there could be alternative explanations for the decision.
One possibility that Pokemon fans have raised online is that Pokemon Sword and Shield could see additional updates after the releases of Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl and Legends: Arceus. Pokemon Company COO Takato Utsunomiya revealed during today’s showcase that the new games will receive Pokemon Home support sometime in 2022. Since Legends: Arceus is adding new Pokemon, and since many Sinnoh Pokemon aren’t supported in Sword and Shield yet, some players believe an update might be released to allow more Pokemon to be used in Ranked Battles. That would make a lot of sense, and the presence of the new Pokemon could lead to new strategies.
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Pokemon Sword and Shield has seen a lot of success since its release in 2019. The eighth Pokemon generation is currently the fifth best-selling game on Switch, and it’s also one of the highest-selling games in the history of the franchise. Keeping the Ranked Battles in Sword and Shield could be a way to keep the game selling, even after the release of multiple new Pokemon games. It would also keep the competitive player base centralized. With Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl releasing in November and Legends: Arceus coming in January, fans will likely have some definitive answers sooner, rather than later.
Pokemon Legends: Arceus will release on January 28th, exclusively on the Nintendo Switch. You can check out our previous coverage of the game right here.
What did you think of today’s Pokemon Presents video? What do you think will happen to Ranked Battles? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!
