Pokemon Sword and Shield Director Explains Reasoning Behind Controversial Feature

Pokemon Sword and Shield on Nintendo Switch are making some notable changes to the series, some of which have been applauded, others of which have landed developer Game Freak in hot water with fans. One of the more controversial features has been the removal of traditional Exp. Share, which has been replaced by a new blanket-like Exp. Share. For those that don't know: Exp. Share has been an item in the games for awhile that you can give to a Pokemon. This Pokemon would get experience even if it wasn't in battle. All it had to be was in the party. This form of Exp. Share is no longer an item in Pokemon Sword and Shield though. Now, experience will be shared across the whole party. In other words, all the Pokemon in your party will get experience for each battle.

Like everything about Pokemon Sword and Shield, the reveal of this tweak was very divisive. The majority of players either liked the change or were unmoved by it, but the vocal minority weren't happy about the adjustment. That said, Game Freak is sticking by it, and recently the director of the games, Shigeru Ohmori, explained why Game Freak isn't letting players turn off the feature.

"Those who have it turned off want to train one specific Pokemon. We thought: is there a way to achieve that? There is, simply by putting the rest of your Pokemon in the PC," said Ohmori while speaking to InsideGaming.

As you may know, players will be able to access their PC on the fly whenever and wherever they want, so this is perfectly achievable, but obviously it's not ideal for players who don't want to engage with the new way Exp. Share works.

Pokemon Sword and Shield will be available on Nintendo Switch starting November 15.For more news, rumors, leaks, media, and information on the pair of exclusive Switch games, be sure to peep all of our previous and extensive coverage of the titles by clicking right here. Meanwhile, as always, feel free to leave a comment or two letting us know what you think or, alternatively, hit me up on Twitter @Tyler_Fischer_ and let me know over there.