Pokémon Home launched for the Nintendo Switch on February 12th, last year. Since then, trainers from all over the globe utilized the service for the respective Pokémon games. These included, but were limited to:
- Pokémon Sword
- Pokémon Shield
- Let’s Go: Pikachu
- Let’s Go: Eevee
In addition to Let’s Go, Pokémon transferred from the Pokémon Go mobile game to Pikachu and Eevee were restricted to just that. Once they transferred to Pokémon Home, they were not allowed to go back into Let’s Go upon saving.
Lastly, Pokémon Bank for the Nintendo 3DS allowed transfer to Nintendo Switch. With these functionalities, trainers gained access to a wide library of availability between gaming consoles.
E-Shop Closing Could Lead To Bank Ending;
Nintendo E-Shop set to close late March 2023. Image from screenrant.com
However, Nintendo, earlier this year, announced closing of services for all prior consoles. Until late March 2023, E-Shop will remain open for customers. On the following date, the listed consoles will have their services closed:
- (New) 3DS / (New) 3DS-XL
- (New) 2DS / (New) 2DS-XL
- Wii-U / Wii-U Deluxe
Nintendo stated that, in their official Q&A, this is all part of their console lifecycle, as they continue to move forward. Following this announcement more information dropped:
- May 23rd: Funds will be cancelled to and from above consoles.
- August 29th: Nintendo E-Shop cards will no longer be operational. However, redemption codes will still be available until March 2023.
These changes, on the other hand, will not apply to online play, or redownloading content from prior purchases. Whether this means Pokémon Bank will lose connectivity to Pokémon Home will be entirely up to them.
Pokémon Home Update;
The official chart for Pokémon Home integration. Image from pokémon.com
On May 12th, Game Freak announced an official update. On May 18th, at approximately 6pm (Today, upon this articles publication), Pokémon Home will allow connectivity between their following games:
- Legends: Arceus
- Brilliant Diamond
- Shining Pearl
As shown in the chart above, connectivity between Sword and Shield, Bank, Let’s Go, and Go will not change. However, following the connectivity between the above titles, other changes will be made in addition:
- The Home National Pokédex will update to include that specific game’s Pokédex (ie. Legends: Arceus Pokédex will be displayed).
- Pokémon sent between Arceus and BDSP will appear in Strange Balls; jade-green Pokéballs.
With a wide variety of upcoming functions, it would seem Pokémon Home will face a ton of user traffic. Let’s hope our friends at Game Freak will be able to handle such a task.
Hisui and Sinnoh Mystery Gifts:
Rowlet (Left), Cyndaquil (Center), and Oshawott (Right), starters from the Hisui Region. Image from ginx.tv
Upon completing the update for Pokémon Home, users of the mobile app will be able to receive Mystery Gifts of the respective game starters with their hidden abilities:
- Pokémon BDSP gifts include Turtwig (Shell Armor), Chimchar (Iron Fist), and Piplup (Defiant).
- Pokémon Legends: Arceus gifts include Rowlet (Long Reach), Cyndaquil (Flash Fire), and Oshawott (Shell Armor).
The Home update is ready upon opening or downloading (depending on where you are, or if you have it). To recieve these Mystery Gifts, be sure to download the app on your mobile device.
With Pokémon Home’s official update up and ready, here’s to completing our National Pokédex. Also, be sure to stop on by our Facebook page, as we constantly keep our readers up-to-date on the latest happenings. Stay Geeky, and have fun out there Pokémon trainers!
