Pokemon Sword and Shield won't have players visiting regions outside of Galar

(Image credit: Nintendo)

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.

"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.

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Sam Loveridge is the Brand Director and former Global Editor-in-Chief of GamesRadar. She joined the team in August 2017. Sam came to GamesRadar after working at TrustedReviews, Digital Spy, and Fandom, following the completion of an MA in Journalism. In her time, she's also had appearances on The Guardian, BBC, and more. Her experience has seen her cover console and PC games, along with gaming hardware, for a decade, and for GamesRadar, she's in charge of the site's overall direction, managing the team, and making sure it's the best it can be. Her gaming passions lie with weird simulation games, big open-world RPGs, and beautifully crafted indies. She plays across all platforms, and specializes in titles like Pokemon, Assassin's Creed, The Sims, and more. Basically, she loves all games that aren't sports or fighting titles! In her spare time, Sam likes to live like Stardew Valley by cooking and baking, growing vegetables, and enjoying life in the countryside.