This is exactly why I expect either a backpedal or an update insinuating that they just meant not yet.
…why would they even allow for the ability to transfer from Bank to Home if it wouldn't eventually allow all your mons? Because once you do, you can't get them back, and they're trapped in limbo if that's the case.
I hope and suspect it's gonna play out like "we meant not yet", but if they do that now, that really throws the interpreter under the bus because the tone and language of the English spoken were strikingly clear.
But "eventually" doesn't help this situation. "Eventually" could mean that we get gen 4 remakes next where all gen 4 Pokémon are allowed, but not all other Pokémon. Or it could mean we get a third version which allows a few extra Pokémon but some are still left out. There's absolutely going to be an "eventually" for every Pokémon, but it's not guaranteed it will be for all of them in one game, and that's the core issue. Every game should accommodate for every Pokémon, even if only through transfer, and while you believe they will remedy this (and I do hope you're right) the way it was worded sounded like that wasn't going to be the case, not only for Sword and Shield but for all games moving forward.
This definitely is what it sounded like, and they specifically said "a new direction". Though I'd argue this is less a "new direction" and more a betrayal of a cornerstone of the franchise's marketing and the beating heart of the brand's identity in Japan and the way Pokémon character goods are sold. We have been groomed to care about our digital pet collections. It's a major blow to the brand if they convince people who've bought into that for generations to now just think of their Pokémon as any other data. It really seems like it could devastate the merchandising, where the real money is.
What happened to the good old national dex?? When it was not there in gen 7 games I thought it was a one off thing.
I'm frustrated by all of this for a couple of reasons. One is obviously the frustration of not bringing mons I've "bonded with" forward. It's not just my personal feelings; the Pokémon Company and Game Freak have always marketed this aspect heavily, across all Pokémon media and experiences.
Secondly and more irritatingly, though, is something that's bothered me for a very long time. USUM was not just a "third (and fourth) game. It was the end of the DS/3DS era, and really the entire handheld history of Pokémon, which is the entire history of the main series. It was the swan song in a way that may be unique among games. With SM, there were already lots of special events, but then came the Year of Legendaries, plus Island Scan and Ultra Wormholes. Any active trader could have every Starter, every Legendary, many Mythicals. And with patience and commitment, lots of them might be shiny, too.
The breeding and IV/EV-viewing/customizing mechanics were streamlined a lot with Poké Pelago and Bottle Caps. If ever there was a time that even new Pokémon players might likely have a wide variety of beloved Pokémon, Gen 7 was it. And yet it never got a National Dex, so lots of the mons that might be in a Trainer's boxes will never appear in the Pokédex. That's even more insane when you think of all the Virtual Console releases that finally happened in Gen 7, and all of the event mon promotions with Pokémon Bank. It really felt like Bank was being presented as a "just pay $5 a year forever, and forever no worries" solution. It's not clear whether or not Home will be a paid service, though I assume it will be. It's kind of a hard sell now.
One more personal peeve for me is that the Pokédex 3D Pro was not free, and was still sold in the eShop during Gen 7, with no notice that Gens 6 and 7 were never included. As one of the most iconic series on the DS/3DS, it's pretty disappointing that nobody at either Nintendo or Game Freak insisted that the 3D Pro must poetically conclude with the last two games of Pokémon's handheld era.
This has bothered me for years, but now that it sounds like USUM is in fact the true end of complete cross-generational openness, a fact the marketing pushed with every event and VC release along with Pokémon Bank; it now feels more than frustrating. After being more excited with every new piece of information, even slowly opening my mind to Dynamax, this is more than disappointing.
It makes me sad.
I still want a National Dex (and a Diploma) for Gen 7. I still want Shiny Necrozma. I still want the Pokédex 3D Pro updated with Kalos and Alola. And I know that none of that is likely to happen, which makes the Treehouse announcement even more bitter.
I'm sad and bitter.
And I'm still excited about Galar, too. Go figure.
