Pokemon Scarlet and Violet patch fixes crashes by removing characters from the open world

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet
(Image credit: Nintendo)

A new Pokemon Scarlet and Violet patch has fixed some crashes by removing Pokemon and people from its open world.

Earlier today, on February 27, a brand new update for Scarlet and Violet launched shortly after a Pokemon Presents showcase. Patch notes for the update were published swiftly on Nintendo's official website, revealing update 1.2.0 fixed certain crashes in the two games with a workaround.

"We have addressed an issue that made the game prone to forcibly closing at certain locations. As a result of this fix, there may be fewer Pokemon and people displayed in certain towns or in the wild," the patch notes on Nintendo's website read.

It's true that Pokemon Scarlet and Violet suffered from crashes, among other technical issues, when they first launched last year. Stuttering and dropped frames were a common complaint of players, arguably more so than outright crashes, with the two issues no doubt putting a damper on the experience for many.

It remains to be seen just how adjusted Scarlet and Violet's open world is to fix the crashes. You'd hope the open world of the two games isn't exactly empty after the update, but considering the rate at which you could stumble upon creatures prior to this update, perhaps it's a little much to expect such a dramatic change.

It's this same patch that introduced the two new Paradox Legendary Pokemon. One of the headline reveals of the Pokemon Presents showcase was Walking Wake for Pokemon Scarlet and Iron Leaves for Pokemon Violet, two newcomers which are available right now in both games thanks to the new patch via Tera Raid Battles.

The new Pokemon Scarlet and Violet DLC was also revealed earlier today, and the two new instalments will be launching later this year. 

Hirun Cryer

Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.

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