Pokémon Scarlet and Violet are the next entries in the mainline series, keeping with the tradition of releasing two versions of the game. Version exclusives have been a part of the series as well, going all the way back to Gen 1 when certain Pokémon could only be caught depending on which cartridge players owned. Even Pokémon Yellow, a single release, made it so that players needed to trade with owners of Red or Blue to complete their Pokédex. Version exclusives in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet are inevitable, but they shouldn't really happen at all.
The Gen 8 games, Pokémon Sword and Shield, and the recent remakes of Pokémon Diamond and Pearl had version exclusives. It's been a long-running tradition, and it's something made much easier thanks to Wonder Trading and the GTS. Connecting to the internet to trade version-exclusive Pokémon is much easier than trading with a link cable. However, this has only highlighted why version exclusives are such an outdated tradition and shouldn't be included in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. It doesn't really add anything to gameplay and more widespread internet accessibility makes trading for exclusives more of a minor inconvenience than anything that feels worthwhile.
Originally, version-exclusive Pokémon were meant to encourage trading and offer players different gameplay experiences. It was also a way to make more money, and it's proven to be a highly successful business tactic for the Pokémon franchise. Many fans will end up buying both versions of a game in order to get the version-exclusive Legendaries, which are harder-to-find Pokémon in Wonder Trading. It seemed like this tradition was going to be bucked after Legends: Arceus was released, but the announcement for Pokémon Scarlet and Violet has cast a lot of doubts on whether the series will continue offering version exclusives or not.
Version-Exclusive Pokémon In Scarlet & Violet Doesn't Make Sense
Thus far, not much has been revealed about Pokémon Scarlet and Violet outside of a brief teaser trailer that officially announced the titles were in development. The games were announced for "late 2022," but still lack a concrete release date. The Gen 9 titles will offer more open-world experiences, building upon the exploration found in Pokémon Legends: Arceus. A number of Pokémon were shown in Scarlet and Violet's reveal trailer, but the only new Pokémon featured were the game's starters - the Grass-type Sprigatito, the Fire-type Fuecoco, and the Water-type Quaxly.
It was also revealed that depending on which version players choose, the protagonist's outfit will change. It's nothing major - just the color of the clothes - but it does point at there already being noticeable differences between Scarlet and Violet. While older Pokémon games mostly just changed version-exclusive Pokémon and perhaps some dialogue, Sword and Shield made some larger changes by altering which Gym Leaders players faced in Sword versus which ones were found in Shield. For instance, those who bought Sword would battle Bea with her Fighting-type Pokémon while those who owned Shield would square off against Allister and his Ghost-types. Still, for the most part, the story beats and character development remained the same and there were only two Gym Leaders out of eight that were different depending on the version of Sword and Shield being played.
Pokémon Sword and Shield's narrative was essentially unaltered. Even the different Gym Leaders didn't really hide the fact that the versions were only arbitrarily different. The DLC tried to change this a bit - The Isle of Armor gave players an exclusive rival depending on which version they were using, for example, but The Crown Tundra had no noticeable differences. Regardless, the rival changes still felt more surface-level and unnecessary. The main drive for purchasing both versions still came from trying to catch 'em all. It could be argued that Pokémon Scarlet and Violet could take things even further and make version exclusives actually matter, whether it's from exclusive Pokémon to story beats and characters, but the easiest solution would be to remove this kind of mechanic entirely.
Pokémon Scarlet & Violet Should've Learned More From Legends: Arceus
It seemed that when Pokémon Legends: Arceus was released, the series was finally doing away with dual releases and version exclusives, a practice that had felt outdated even when Sword and Shield came out. Every Pokémon could be caught and the Pokédex could be completed without having to trade a single time thanks to Legends: Arceus' trade items like the Linking Cord, which meant Pokémon who typically evolved through trading could evolve without it. It was an immensely great quality-of-life improvement that was often overlooked by Legends: Arceus' flashier changes - like its (mostly) open-world subregions.
Pokémon Scarlet and Violet should've learned more from Legend: Arceus in this regard. The new Gen 9 games should've foregone dual releases and version exclusives entirely. Legends: Arceus illustrated that trading Pokémon online was no longer necessary to enjoy the experience. Still, trading is an inherent part of the Pokémon series, so it was unlikely the Gen 9 games would remove it entirely. And Pokémon Legends: Arceus' sales records show the series can succeed and still make money without trying to entice fans to buy two versions of the same game. The announcement that the Gen 9 games would have two versions felt like a step backward after all the goodwill Legends: Arceus had garnered.
Of course, it's still a bit too early to tell just how much version-exclusive Pokémon will be a part of Scarlet and Violet. Given that the Gen 9 games will be released in two versions, though, players should expect to find exclusives in each one. Otherwise, there wouldn't be any reason to do it. This far into the Pokémon franchise's lifespan, though, version exclusives seem increasingly unnecessary and more like an unapologetic cash grab. It would be much better if Pokémon Scarlet and Violet didn't have them at all. However, Legends: Arceus showed that the series is willing to change, so perhaps the Gen 10 games will finally end the trend of releasing two games with version exclusives once and for all.