Pokemon: Let's Go Will Require a Nintendo Switch Online Subscription for Some Features

Pokemon fans will need to purchase a Nintendo Switch Online subscription in order to access key features of the upcoming Pokemon: Let's Go games, including the ability to trade or battle online.

The Pokemon Company confirmed to Eurogamer earlier today that Pokemon: Let's Go, Pikachu and Pokemon: Let's Go, Eevee will have online play functionality, which will require an active membership for the Nintendo Switch Online service. While the statement does mention the ability to "locally" battle and trade with other players, it's unclear whether they would also require a Switch Online subscription to access.

This marks the first time that a Pokemon player will need to pay an addition fee for full access to all of a Pokemon game's features. The Nintendo Switch Online subscription will cost $20 per year and comes with access to NES games with added multiplayer capabilities and the ability to save game files to the cloud.

However, the Pokemon Company also noted that the features will be somewhat limited compared to previous games. The Pokemon: Let's Go games will not feature the Global Trade System, Wonder Trade, or Battle Spot features, all of which have been popular online options for players in recent years. The Global Trade System allowed players to offer up Pokemon for trade, along with an online database, while the Wonder Trade function allowed for totally random trades between players. The Battle Spot function was where players could participate in various themed or ranked battles in competitions organized by the Pokemon Company.

The toned down online features aren't a surprise, given Pokemon: Let's Go's simplified gameplay. As the Pokemon games are focusing only on the original 150 Pokemon from the first Pokemon games, there's not much of a need for the online trading features. And the competitive Pokemon players who use Battle Spot would probably prefer sticking with Pokemon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, which comes with full access to the full PokeDex, along with abilities like Z-Moves and Mega Evolution...both of which don't appear to be in the Pokemon: Let's Go games.

Pokemon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Pokemon: Let's Go, Eevee! will be released on November 16th.