Pokémon Let's Go Pikachu! and Let's Go Eevee! will require an online subscription for several of the game features.
Eurogamer confirmed this through a statement by Pokémon Company.
"Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Pokémon: Let's Go, Eevee! will have online play functionality. Battling and trading with other players over the internet or locally will be available in these games," a Pokémon Company spokesperson said. "An active membership for the Nintendo Switch Online service, which is scheduled to begin in September of this year, will be required to access these features."
This, of course, comes as little surprise as the franchise has often made use of online functionality of some kind (before that, it was restricted to link cables). Nintendo has been planning to release it's online subscription service for some time now. The online features in Let's Go Pikachu! and Let's Go Eevee! will be simplified compared to the last few entries of the series, not having the Global Trade Station, Battle Spot or Wonder Trade features. Nintendo is promising further details at a later date, likely during E3 this year.
Pokémon Let's Go Pikachu! and Let's Go Eevee! will be the first mainstreamish Pokémon games on a Nintendo console, and the first games in the franchise to feature massive changes to the standard Pokémon formula. A re-imagining of Pokémon Yellow, The Let's Go games will feature functionality with Niantic's Pokémon Go!, and is designed to be in the same style as the online mobile game. This makes them less of a traditional Pokemon title, and more of a hybridization of sorts, as the features we're seeing for it show.
Pokémon Let's Go Pikachu! and Let's Go Eevee! are expected to release on November 16th, 2018 as exclusive titles for the Nintendo Switch. Game Freak is also working on a more mainstream Pokémon title, which is scheduled for release in 2019.
What do you think about this news? Looking forward to more info on Pokémon Let's Go? Leave your comments below and be sure to check out the rest of our E3 2018 coverage here.
