The Pokemon Global Link — an online service previously used for Pokemon titles — will be shutting down in its entirety sometime in February 2020.
If you're unfamiliar with the Pokemon Global Link, it's essentially a series of services that extended the online functionality of Pokemon between Generation 5 (Black and White) and Generation 7 (Sun and Moon). As Bulbapedia notes, it allows people to trade Pokemon over the Internet (similar to the earlier "Global Terminal" in Generation IV.)
Furthermore, the Global Link also gave players access to different features depending on the game. For example, in Black and White it gave access to the "Dream World"; this new location would allow them to capture 'mons that were not normally accessible in the Unova region. Now, the Pokemon Global Link is shutting down for good.
What happens to the Pokemon Global Link features?
Although most people have probably moved on to newer generations of Pokemon games, one might be curious about what's going to happen to those that were featured in the Pokemon Global Link. For that, we should turn to the announcement made on the game's official website.
After more than nine years of operation, the Pokémon Global Link (PGL) service will be retired on February 24, 2020, at 23:59 UTC. After PGL service has ended, you will no longer be able to use any gameplay features that require a connection to the PGL on your Pokémon Ultra Sun, Pokémon Ultra Moon, Pokémon Sun, or Pokémon Moon games. You will still be able to use other online functionality apart from the PGL.
Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield will provide services similar to the PGL’s Rating Battles and Online Competitions features and will be available to play via Nintendo Switch.
Thank you for using the PGL, and we hope you will continue to enjoy using the PGL until the service ends.
So, there you have it. I imagine that if you're still playing Pokemon Sun and Moon (or the later "Ultra" versions of the game), you're only going to be able to use similar functionality by buying the latest game in the franchise. Shame.
What do you think of the demise of the Pokemon Global Link? Were you still using it today, or does its shutting down not really affect you? Let us know in the comments below!
