The service, which expects to be replaced by Pokémon HOME, will prevent the connection of the titles to its servers by completely shutting down its activity.
The Pokémon Company has announced that next February 24 will definitely shut down Pokémon Global Link (PGL) servers worldwide. In addition, they have explained what functions and features will no longer be available, at the expense of Pokémon HOME being the service that takes over with the current Nintendo Switch titles, which will be compatible with the Pokémon Bank of the 3DS era.
What is Pokémon Global Link?
But let's start at the beginning, what is Pokémon Global Link? It is a service introduced in Generation V, on the occasion of Black and White Pokémon (NDS, 2010), with activity since October 2010 to make use of additional online functions in games, such as accessing the Dream World of Teselia, participate in tournaments or get free items from The Pokémon Company, among other rewards and features.
The official Pokémon website has published an update on the termination of the Pokémon Global Link service.
📅 February 24, 2020 at 23:59 UTC
➡️ Detail on the functions that are removed (depending on the PGL) and are kept for the moment in the image: pic.twitter.com/IAQbFArRfj
– PokéXperto 🏠 (@pokexperto) January 24, 2020
From Generation VII (Sun, Moon, Ultrasol and Ultramoon, 2017-2019), Pokémon Global Link began to be relegated to the background by the Pokémon Bank, which allows access to PC Boxes in line with which to support our creatures in servers in the cloud, in addition to allowing the exchange with cartridge species of previous generations.
With the promise that Pokémon HOME will be launched on iOS, Android and Nintendo Switch this February, The Pokémon Company will close on those same dates a service whose utility was almost nonexistent.
The informative image, provided by the PokéXperto portal, details what will continue to work and what will no longer be used in the Nintendo 3DS editions by relying directly on this service. None of this will affect the offline game, nor the possibility of playing online against other players.
Pokémon Sword and Shield were launched exclusively for Nintendo Switch and began the eighth generation last November; You can read our Reviews here and here our complete game guide. It will be in June when the first of the announced DLCs is launched; the second will be available in autumn.
