Pokémon: Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl were released on November 19th, 2021, without compatibility with Pokémon Home, begging the question of why Nintendo left out the popular service. This latest addition to the Pokémon franchise is a remaster of Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, but without the implementation of Pokémon Home, it seems to be lacking some of the upgrades that other modern games have. For this latest remaster a completely new development studio was brought in, with some oversight from Game Freak, which has developed most of the previous Pokémon games. This new company, ICLA, brings with it a new art style, giving the remasters a fresh new look while maintaining the classic Pokémon gameplay.
Pokémon Home is a free service that users can download onto their Switch or smartphone that gives players cloud storage for their Pokémon. Though the application is free, users can opt for a premium subscription that offers more storage space and larger transfers, albeit at a price. Once Pokémon are stored in the cloud players can transfer their creatures to other games in the franchise that are also compatible, as well as trade with other trainers.
This gives fans the flexibility to collect rare or shiny Pokémon in Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, as well as drop a particularly strong pocket monster into a game that they may have just started. Other Pokémon games that have come out since the release of Pokémon Home have not been compatible right away, so it should have been expected that BDSP would have to wait its turn. Even so, while it was to be expected that integration with Home wouldn't come instantly, potentially to avoid introducing game-breaking Pokémon to BDSP, it seems strange that Nintendo wouldn't want to promote its paid service more.
Pokémon Home Will Come To BDSP In 2022
Nintendo has a history of wanting players to experience its games strictly the way they were intended. The company has previously counteracted "unfair" play with the Animal Crossing franchise and time traveling, and for some players, this may be preferable. For others, though, it can be frustrating to be told how to play a game, especially if, in theory, it could be improved with different options.
Fans that have been shiny hunting and/or preparing a team for the release of Pokémon: Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl will be unable to put that hard work to use right away and will have to wait until a future playthrough to bring across their Pokémon from Home. It makes sense from a difficulty perspective, as players dropping in super high-level Pokémon into a brand new save file could cause issues. Either, this could also be frustrating for some players, as not all Pokémon that have been transferred to Pokémon Home can go back to their original games.
Nintendo has confirmed that Pokémon: Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl will be compatible with Pokémon Home sometime in 2022, with no exact date given yet. It may come after the completion of BDSP's Mystery Gift event, which is February 21st, 2022. Fans can expect that Nintendo will give players ample time to complete Pokémon: Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl and do as much collecting the old fashion way as possible, before giving access to the wide world of the internet.