The #IStandWithSerebii movement responds to Pokémon Sword and Shield's toxic fan base

What you need to know

• Pokémon Sword and Shield release on November 15 for the Nintendo Switch.
• Many gamers are upset with the upcoming Pokémon Sword and Shield games, which has led some of them to attack Nintendo, Game Freak, and online media outlets covering Pokémon content.
• Serebii.net is a popular, fan-created site that's been around since 1999 and covers Pokémon-related information.
• Recently, the creator of Serebii.net has received some negative and hateful feedback for his coverage of the games.
• In response, many Twitter users have started using #IStandWithSerebii to show their support for the man that runs the website.
• You can preorder Pokémon Sword and Shield for $60 from Amazon.

The long-awaited Pokémon Sword and Shield games release on Nintendo Switch this Friday, November 15, 2019. Despite not being out yet, the games have already made many gamers upset. One of the biggest controversies, which the internet has dubbed as "Dexit," stems from Game Freak's decision to not include all previous Pokémon in the new game's Nation Pokédex. This means that several of the pre-existing Pokémon from previous generations don't appear in the new games, and they can't be transferred in from other games either.

Recently, Pokémon Sword and Shield's Pokédex was leaked on Twitter and Reddit, which finally confirmed which Pokémon would actually be in the new games and which ones wouldn't. This lead to a lot of angry reactions from fans who didn't see their favorite Pokémon listed. Some of them focused their anger on the employees at Game Freak, Nintendo, and The Pokémon Company. Pokémon Sword and Shield's producer, Junichi Masuda, has even received threats over his involvement with the new games. The hate hasn't stopped there. Many other media outlets that have been covering Pokémon content have also received hateful responses to their Pokémon coverage.

One such media outlet is Serebii.net, which is a popular resource that many Pokémon fans have used since it was first established in 1999. The man behind Serebii.net does his best to only include official release information from The Pokémon Company, Nintendo, and Game Freak. After the leaks, Game Freak officially revealed the existence of a few new Pokémon. Serebii.net then covered this information. Some of the responses to Serebii.net's updates have been downright hateful. This is truly disgusting given that he is a Pokémon lover himself who simply wants to share his enthusiasm with fellow Pokémon fans.

The child that screams the loudest is often the one that gets focused on, but that doesn't mean that the other children in the room are responding in the same way. Fortunately, only a fraction of the Pokémon fan base is this toxic, which has been proven by the #IStandWithSerebii movement on Twitter. Hundreds, if not thousands of Twitter users, have denounced the hateful reactions of fellow gamers and applaud Serebii.net for all of the helpful information the website hosts. Additionally, thousands of users have jumped online to show their appreciation for Game Freak and the employees behind the Pokémon games using #ThankYouGameFreak.

As previously mentioned, Pokémon Sword and Shield haven't even released yet. We'll be curious to see what the general consensus for the games is once everyone can play them this Friday.

Pokémon Sword and Shield: Release date, trailers, & announcements