Topic: Rumor: Potential Release Window for Pokemon's The Isle of Armor DLC

[MuffinstheDino]

The first wave of Sword and Shield DLC may be launching sooner than you thought

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/rumor/53864/rumor-potential-release-window-for-pokemons-the-isle-of-armor-dlc

It's been over two months since we have last heard any new details regarding The Isle of Armor, the first DLC pack of the Pokemon Sword and Shield Expansion Pass. Originally revealed back in January, The Isle of Armor would launch this June and would focus upon the new legendary Pokemon, Urshifu. Later in March, during the Nintendo Direct Mini, we learned more details on new gigantamax forms for Galar's starter Pokemon and some new details on how to evolve Kubfu into Urshifu. However, as we quickly approach the month of June, we have yet to be given a firm release date for the DLC pack. Thankfully, we may be able to pinpoint when it will launch, thanks to some clues left by The Pokemon Company themselves.

For those unaware, to celebrate the upcoming release of The Isle of Armor, Pokemon have been hosting weekly mystery gift events. These weekly events, available worldwide, grant the player access to hidden ability Galarian forms of Mr. Mime, Ponyta, Corsola, and Meowth. Each event also runs simultaneously with an item distribution, which grants the player rare items, such as evolutionary items. Things, however, begin to become more interesting when looking specifically at the Galarian Meowth event, which begins on June 11th. For one, the event is the only one that does not have an end date, which is surprising as the Japanese Pokemon website lists end dates for each of the other distributions. Additionally, when compared to the other item distributions, the one that corresponds with Galarian Meowth is an item bundle that contains 50 big nuggets and 100 large EXP candies. This is likely an indication that the DLC may be harder than the base game and that Game Freak wants to adequately prepare the players by providing them with easy money and experience before they begin their new adventure. Considering these items are meant to be used or sold, it makes sense to distribute them as close to the launch as possible to prevent players from wasting them before release.

Putting these clues together, we can make an educated guess that The Isle of Armor DLC for Sword and Shield will launch around the week of June 11th. It is also worth mentioning that this lines up with the original dates for E3 2020, which was supposed to take place from June 9th to June 11th. The release date announcement could have easily been announced at E3, either during the Nintendo Direct or during the Treehouse, and available a few days later as a surprise release. This would not be the unheard of for Nintendo, as in 2018, they had a similar strategy with the release of Splatoon 2's Octo Expansion. However, considering the global circumstances affecting Nintendo and the cancellation of E3, things may have had to change and release dates may have shifted internally. As a result, nothing is certain at this point, but based on the clues we have, a release around the middle of June (potentially as early as the 11th) seems like the most likely release date.

Do you agree with our theory on when the first wave of Pokemon Sword and Shield DLC will launch? Let us know in the talkback below!