If you're even a teenie bit invested in Pokemon Sword and Shield, you may have heard a fan theory that the game may well feature at least some connections to a second region beyond the brand new Galar. The theory goes that the games could connect to the Kalos region from Pokemon X & Y.
Now, that might sounds bonkers, but so many people latched onto it because there is a plausible connection and some in-game nods that suggested it might be true. However, the theory has now been shot down by the Pokemon Company.
When we asked game director Shigeru Ohmori about the fan theory and the possibility of travelling to another region in Pokemon Sword and Shield, he said:
"In this particular game there's no plan to send people to other regions at the moment, but there is still plenty to do post-game that we can't really go into detail on. Even the 'dex collecting alone, there's a lot to do there and for players to enjoy. So there's plenty to do after the game, but with regards to other regions, no."
That's a pretty definitive answer to that particular question, although now I'm even more intrigued as to what the post-game content will be.
As to what the theory was, it goes something like this. Pokemon X & Y story's involved discovering that 3000 years ago a king used an ultimate weapon to stop a war that was raging across the Kalos region. It used energy from the legendary Pokemon Xerneas and Yvelta, which in turn led to the creation of Mega Evolutions. That war though was against an unnamed region, which people posited could have been Galar.
The reason being that the Kalos region was based on France, while Galar is based on the UK – both just a short stretch of water away from one another. It's also interesting that Pokemon X & Y featured a train station in Couriway Town, which you could never access, and trains are one of the key transport options in Pokemon Sword and Shield. It was thought that it could be that the train stations connect the two regions, just like the Eurostar between the real countries of France and the UK. Plus, Couriway's slogan is "a town connecting differences".
You can see why the theory was so compelling, if unlikely to be true.
Pokemon Sword and Shield is out November 15, but for now why not check out all the Gen 8 Pokemon confirmed so far?
Pokemon Legends: Z-A will allegedly introduce 27 new Mega Evolutions, leakers claim, and we can only hope Flygon gets its chance this time
Pokemon Legends: Z-A's director appears to be a Xenoblade Chronicles fan, and I'm now feeling very validated about a tiny detail I spotted in the upcoming RPG's gameplay trailer
