For multiple reasons, Pokemon Sword and Shield was a significant milestone in the Pokemon franchise. First, despite being the 8th generation of Pokemon, the title was the first mainline game to ever come to Nintendo consoles. All other titles were spinoffs or original creations. Second, the game was the first to feature a semi-open world through the Wild Area. In it, you could see Pokemon as they walked around and thus pick and choose who you wanted to battle and catch. Other improvements included the unique story DLC through Isle of Armor and Crown Tundra. Finally, while not everything in the game was successful, most people enjoyed the entry. That was proven by how they sold incredibly well on the Nintendo Switch.

Some people have even been playing it ever since its launch. Between the DLC and the updates, The Pokemon Company brought to the game, there was always something to do and look for, even if it was just trying to complete your Pokedex or battling against other players online. However, for those dedicated fans, things are about to hit a wall of sorts. The Pokemon Company revealed that certain online functions for Pokemon Sword and Shield would cease as of November 1st.

Those features include the Wild Area news, where gamers could get information on certain Pokemon popping up in the Wild Area all over Galar. There is also the Battle Stadium shutting down for the most part. It’ll receive its final update soon; with that, there will be no more online tournaments you can do with other players. Friendly Competitions will still be allowed, though that might not be enough for some players. The shutdown also includes the rankings for the game. So if you’re trying to be the very best in the game, you have a time limit to prove your worth and be recognized for it.

Some features will still be allowed in the games, like Surprise Trade, Link Trade, and Link Battle, through the Y-Comms feature. Those don’t appear to be on the chopping block soon. So you can revel in those for a while.

The Pokemon Company is doing this at the start of November because, later that month, there will be a big release. But, of course, we speak of Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. The 9th generation of Pokemon will arrive through them, and the company no doubt wants to focus on ensuring its launch is as smooth as possible. So by shutting down things in the previous title, they can worry more about the upcoming one.

They’ve been slowly announcing all sorts of things for the 9th generation of Pokemon, including some new spins on classic Pokemon and new Gym Leaders that definitely raised some eyebrows. The games come out on November 18th, so get ready to catch’em all!

Source: Serebii