On July 8 2019, a new trailer was released for Pokémon Sword and Shield that revealed new information about these games, revealing a few new features and some version exclusives. The trailer itself showed a new feature called Gigantimaxing which appears to be quite different from Dynamaxing in two respects. One, while Gigantimaxing does increase the size of the Pokémon, it also changes the Pokémon’s form. Two, the Gigantimaxed Pokémon’s base type moves all become their G-Max Moves. For example, the newly unveiled Pokémon Alcremie has been granted Gigantimax form with a special new move. According to an article on Pokémon.com, “Gigantamax Pokémon become bigger, and just like normal Dynamaxing, Gigantamaxing boosts the power of the Pokémon. It also allows each Gigantamax Pokémon to use a unique move known as a G-Max Move! Each G-Max Move is particular to a specific species of Gigantamax Pokémon, and regular Dynamax Pokémon can’t use G-Max Moves at all!” This allows each player a unique experience with a specific Pokémon. So far, we only know of three Pokémon eligible for Gigantimaxing: Drednaw, Corviknight, and the newly unveiled Alcremie, and there are sure to be more on the way.
Another new piece of information revealed in the trailer was the introduction of three new Pokémon. These new Pokémon are the Fairy Type Alcremie, the Steel/Dragon type Duraludon, and the Rock Type Rolycoly. Little is known about these Pokémon at the moment beyond their names, their types, as well as their dubbings in the pokédex, but they are sure to provide the player with a plethora of new moves, expressions, experiences, and evolutions. Despite these new additions to the Pokémon family, some players feel that they are missing out on the full Pokémon experience.
Many fans are disappointed that they won’t be able to have all their Pokémon from previous games transferred to Pokémon Sword and Shield. Junichi Masuda explained that he wanted to give the Galar Region Pokemon “a chance to shine.” This could mean that he wants the game to focus mainly on the Pokémon that are native to the region making the gameplay feel more immersive, as if the player is exploring foreign country. Although many fans are lamenting those limitations, and are worried that they will never be able to use their favorite Pokémon again, there is hope. Masuda stated that “even if a specific Pokémon is not available in Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield, that does not mean it will not appear in future games.” This means that while players might not be able to use their favorite Pokémon in Sword and Shield, they may be able to do so in future games.
Finally, there are two new Gym Leaders introduced in these games: Bea and Allister. Not much is known about them other than their type and gender. Bea is the female Fighting type Gym Leader of Pokémon Sword, and Allister is the male Ghost Type Gym Leader of Pokémon Shield. There are likely to be more variances between the games, which players will discover once the games are released. All in all, Pokémon Sword and Shield are looking to be promising additions to the series.