Pokémon Sword, Shield and HOME players with altered save data face ban wave
What you need to know
- The Pokémon Company announced a "ban wave" for Pokémon Sword and Shield players with modified save data.
- Banned users will not have access to online trading or Pokémon HOME.
- No refunds will be issued to players who were banned.
The Pokémon Company seems to be ready to level the playing field once again for players of Pokémon Sword and Shield, announcing that it will be issuing bans to players whose save data has been modified, according to Serebii.net. The company states its reason for the bans as being necessary to ensure that the game experience is not spoiled for other players who play the games as intended. Modifying save data is strictly prohibited in the Terms of Service players must agree to.
Those who are banned will have restricted online access in their Pokémon Sword and Shield games, prohibiting trading and removing their ability to access Pokémon HOME. The Pokémon Company has not revealed whether bans will be temporary or permanent. There was no mention of whether these bans will affect players of Pokémon Let's Go, Pikachu and Pokémon Let's Go, Eevee. Those affected by the bans will not be given refunds for any Pokémon games or content purchased. The Pokémon Company is no stranger to banning players who violate their Terms of Service, banning almost 6,000 players who hacked their Pokémon Sun and Moon games. This wave of bans may end up being quite large as well, as Pokémon Sword and Shield are some of the most popular games on the Nintendo Switch.
Catch 'em all
Even more Pokémon fun
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Nadine is a freelance writer for iMore with a specialty in all things Nintendo, often working on news, guides, reviews, and editorials. She's been a huge Nintendo fan ever since she got to pet her very own Nintendog, and enjoys looking at Nintendo's place in the video game industry. Writing is her passion, but she mostly does it so that she can pay off her ever-growing debt to Tom Nook. Her favorite genres are simulation games, rhythm games, visual novels, and platformers. You can find her at @stopthenadness on Twitter, where she'll more than likely be reposting cute Animal Crossing content.