The evolution of the Pokemon Bank will be compatible with Sword and Shield
The Pokemon Company announced Pokemon Home, which is meant to bring all Pokemon together throughout players’ journeys, wherever they play, including integration with Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield.
Planned for an early 2020 launch for iOS and Android devices, Pokemon Home will let players integrate Pokemon from the Nintendo 3DS’ Pokemon Bank, Pokemon Go on smartphones, and Nintendo Switch games like Pokemon: Let’s Go and Pokemon Sword and Shield.
Pokemon Home will also allow for trading with players globally online, with friends, and with trainers nearby. Pokemon Home essentially is meant as an evolution of the Pokemon Bank, allowing players to gather every Pokemon they’ve caught and house them in a single platform that can continue to evolve with all future Pokemon releases. The Pokemon Company plans to allow Pokemon Home to work with future content, as well.
During this year’s Pokemon conference, The Pokemon Company also announced Pokemon Sleep, a Pokemon game that you play while sleeping; Pokemon Masters, a new upcoming mobile game, featuring famous trainers from the Pokemon universe; and a new Detective Pikachu game for Nintendo Switch.
While this confirms Pokemon Home integration for Sword and Shield, we’re expecting to hear a lot more about the next generation of Pokemon at next week’s Pokemon Sword and Shield-focused Nintendo Direct.
Pokémon Sword and Shield was announced earlier this year and will take place in the Galar region.
Sword and Shield will feature three new starter Pokémon – the Chimp Pokémon Grookey, the Rabbit Pokémon Scorbunny, and the Water Lizard Pokémon Sobble. There will be a ton of new Pokémon in Sword and Shield, many familiar Pokemon will return, including Pikachu, Lucario, and Flygon.
Jonathon Dornbush is IGN’s News Editor and Beyond! host who is excited for Pokemon Home but honestly can’t stop thinking about Pokemon Sleep. Talk to him on Twitter @jmdornbush.