'Pokémon Sword & Shield' Leak Reveals Hundreds Of Favourites Cut From Game

We've known for some time now that the upcoming Pokémon Sword & Shield for Nintendo Switch wouldn't feature every single Pokémon, but we finally know now which ones exactly have been benched this time around.

The sad news originally broke over the summer, as Game Freak Producer Junichi Masuda explained to (incredibly unhappy) fans that with the number of available critters hitting over 1,000 as of Sword & Shield, it was simply no longer feasible to animate, render, and balance every last one of them.

"The total number of Pokémon has exceeded 1000, including new Pokémon and the various forms of existing Pokémon," He said. "As a result, it has become extremely difficult to make Pokémon with a new personality play an active part and to balance their compatibility."

"This decision is personally sad," he continued. "Of course, I wanted to be able to bring all Pokémon if I could do it, but it was also a decision that I had to make some day. In the end, I had no choice but to choose the quality."

While some understood and respected the decision, it has remained a volatile subject for Pokémon fans around the world. The last few months have seen plenty of arguments and criticisms leveled against Game Freak and Nintendo, with many upset and concerned that their favourite monsters wouldn't make the cut.

To make matters worse, we didn't actually have any idea how many monsters or which ones would end up cut from Sword & Shield - until now.

Cut classic Pokémon is a different matter though, and I think the people need to know. The new Galar Pokédex apparently has 400 Pokémon, including mythical monsters.

With over 1,000 Pokémon now out there, that obviously means a massive chunk of existing monsters have been cut from the game. A different ResetEra thread has compiled a guide for which monsters remain and which have been left out - and there are bound to be more than a few fan-favourites in this list of the culled.

Take a look for yourself below - Green are monsters that are in the game, white have been cut. I can't believe they did my boy Dragonite dirty like this.

As you can see, it's a pretty upsetting read, especially for longtime fans. Of the original 151, only 54 make the cut? No Bulbasaur or Squirtle? No Alakazam? I'll still be playing Pokémon Sword & Shield, and no doubt I'll have a great time, but this? This does sting.