Pokémon Sword and Shield
About
Pokémon Sword and Shield are two upcoming games in the core Pokémon series by Nintendo. The games mark the eighth generation of Pokémon games, following Pokémon Sun and Moon, and will be the first core entry in the series to be released on the Nintendo Switch.
History
Reveal Trailer
On February 27th, 2019, the 23rd anniversary of the release of Pokémon Red and Green in Japan, Nintendo streamed a Nintendo Direct focused entirely on the announcement of Pokémon Sword and Shield (shown below).
The game takes place in an all-new area dubbed the Galar region. The game features a return to the “gym” method of progression, which was absent in Sun and Moon. The Pokémon Company described Galar thus:
Galar is an expansive region with diverse environments — an idyllic countryside, contemporary cities, thick forest, and craggy, snow-covered mountains. The people and the pokémon who live there work together closely to develop the industries in the region. Fans will have the opportunity to visit various gyms in the Galar region in their quest to become champion.
The Direct introduced the generation’s three starter Pokémon: Grookey, the Grass type; Scorbunny, the Fire type; and Sobble, the Water type.
Online, fans quickly remarked upon the content of the first trailer, namely the designs of the new Pokémon and how Galar appeared to be based on the United Kingdom. User @androssety pointed out that the Galar region looked like the UK if it was flipped upside down, gaining over 90 retweets (shown below, left). Twitter user @TBSkyen joked that the villains of the game would be pro-Brexit, gaining over 30 retweets and 70 likes (shown below, right).
Scorbunny generated excitement in particular. Fans quickly suggested the Pokémon’s evolutionary line would make its type Fire/Fighting, a popular trope amongst Pokémon fans since the frequent type combination for fire starters was introduced in the third generation. Fanart referencing this was created by Twitter users 0503090s and seiryuuden (shown below, respectively first and second image), gathering respectively over 9,500 and 18,500 likes in less than 24 hours. Additionally, Scorbunny’s bunny design quickly lead to fans associating it with the Big Chungus meme. Big Chungus variations by Tumblr user Witchtaunter and Twitter user @Nagrolaz (shown below, respectively third and fourth image) respectively gathered over 70 notes and 7,400 retweets in a similar time.
Sobble also managed to gather a lot of attention, as fans gravitated towards both the character’s design and demeanor. User MFKAOZ joked the character was reminiscent of You Know I Had to Do It To ‘Em, gaining over 110 retweets (shown below, left). User @defensebench posted art of Sobble, gaining over 150 retweets and 250 likes (shown below, right).
Pokémon Gun
Following the reveal of the subtitles as Sword and Shield, many fans jokingly speculated a third version would have the title Pokémon Gun. Pokémon games in the main series are known for always splitting new games into 2 versions with minor differences since the first generation. A completed third version is often released at a later date, although this hasn’t appeared since generation V. The first popular tweet mentioning Pokémon Gun was created by Twitter user @Sir5000 (shown below, left) and gathered over 17,500 retweets and 47,250 likes within 24 hours. Following the tweet, other fans soon followed with similar jokes and fanart. Versions by Tumblr user Circateas and Twitter user @ScruffyTurtles (shown below, right and bottom) managed to gather respectively over 31,000 notes and 43,000 likes.
June 5th Nintendo Direct
On June 5th, 2019, Nintendo held another Direct focused on the upcoming games (shown below).
In the Direct, members of the development team introduced several new Pokémon, characters, and game mechanics that will be present in Sword and Shield. The new Pokémon introduced were Gossifleur, its evolution Eldegoss, Wooloo, Corviknight, Drednaw, and the legendary Pokémon Zacian and Zamazenta. New characters include the champion Leon, his younger brother Hop, who will be the player-character’s rival, Professor Magnolia and her assistant Sonia. The major new mechanic announced for the game, called “Dynamax”, allows Pokémon to become giant and super-powerful for three attacks. It can be used once per battle. Also announced was the “Max Raid” feature, in which players will use co-op to take on a giant Pokémon together and capture it. Other gameplay details include a moveable camera and weather effects that affect the appearance of wild Pokémon. The game will see a global release on November 15th, 2019.
Fan art for the new Pokémon and characters quickly followed the Direct. Twitter user @pankendev posted art of Wooloo, gaining over 100 retweets and 200 likes in an hour (shown below, left). User @bkub_comic posted art in the Pop Team Epic style, gaining over 6,100 retweets and 12,000 likes (shown below, right).
Sonia
Sonia in particular inspired fan artists, as fans commented upon the cuteness of the character (GIF from the trailer shown below). Shortly after the trailer, a Twitter Moments page devoted to people commenting on the character was posted. Twitter user @Little_Luly posted art of the character that gained over 270 retweets (shown below, left). User @hommie_ya posted art that gained over 180 retweets and 720 likes (shown below, right).
E3 2019
On June 11th, 2019, Nintendo included some news about Pokémon Sword and Shield during its E3 presentation. This included the introduction of new characters and the announcement of a playable demo of the game at the expo.
Nessa
Nessa is a gym leader set to appear in Pokémon Sword and Shield. After her cameo in the Nintendo Direct for E3 2019, she quickly developed a massive fandom, as fans created memes and fan art about the character, similar to their response to Sonia.
Yamper
During the Nintendo Treehouse E3 Presentation, which included a playable Sword and Shield demo, fans were introduced to Yamper, an electric-type Pokémon modeled after a corgi. Serebii tweeted its Pokédex information, which reads “If the Pokémon is not holding an item, it will fetch the Poke Ball from the first failed throw of the battle.” The Pokémon was a fast favorite of fans, who appreciated its cute design, particularly a heart-shaped tuft of fur on its butt. User @TAHK0 tweeted his excitement, gaining over 41,000 retweets and 122,000 likes (shown below, left). User @pasteldogg tweeted fan art of the Pokémon expressing that it hoped its evolutions would be just as cute, gaining over 4,400 retweets and 10,000 likes (shown below, right).
Online Presence
#BringBackNationalDex
Bring Back National Dex refers to the backlash towards the reveal that Pokémon Sword and Shield will not allow players to transfer Pokémon absent from the Galar Regional Pokédex, breaking the series’s tradition of having all Pokémon from past generations usable in one title, even if they are not able to be caught in-game. Following this restriction’s reveal at Nintendo Treehouse’s E3 2019 presentation, fans voiced their displeasure towards it over various social media outlets, and the aforementioned presentation became the most disliked video of E3 2019.
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