Despite setting all corners of the fandom ablaze with excitement over Pokémon Sword and Shield‘s announcement earlier this year, gathering further intel on the Switch games has been next to impossible. In expected fashion, Nintendo and Game Freak have committed to a prolonged session of radio silence since the pair’s initial unveiling, inevitably paving the way for supposed leaks and rumors aplenty to surface.
Like clockwork, individuals have attempted to fill the void of official details with concept art depicting aptly-named ‘Fakemons,’ in turn causing headaches for those attempting to separate fact from fiction. As it stands, the only concrete information available is that discussed via Nintendo’s aforementioned Direct presentation, so besides the UK-inspired setting and a first-look at Sword and Shield‘s three Starters, the grapevine has yet to bear more fruit.
Bearing all of the above in mind, then, it goes without saying that today’s leak is spectacularly unverified but nonetheless intriguing. As per dedicated Pokémon Go data miner and Twitter user Chrales, newly-discovered files in Niantic’s mobile game appear to suggest a form of future connectivity with Sword and Shield.
For those wondering how a seemingly unrelated string such as ‘koala_settings’ could hint towards the potential pairing, Chrales notes that similar connections have been found in the past. Prior to the release of last year’s Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Let’s Go, Eevee!, for example, the phrase beluga_settings was unearthed. It later emerged, following the pair’s launch, that the term was a codename used by Niantic in reference to the Switch titles.
That being the case, this latest development could be the strongest sign yet that the Generation 8 games will interact with Pokémon Go in much the same way as before, limitations included. Creatures traded from the mobile title to different platforms can never be sent back to their original Trainer, so if the leak ultimately turns out to be 100% accurate, be sure to bear that in mind.
Pokémon Sword and Shield are out later this year for Nintendo Switch. Expect a specific release date, along with new gameplay, at this year’s E3.