New bans issued to certain Pokémon players prior to the release of Scarlet and Violet

Pokémon players who use illegal alternative methods to adjust their gameplay may soon find that their access to the series’ online services has been greatly hindered.

A new wave of bans has been issued, targeting players who modify their Pokémon using unofficial outside services, such as the creation of Pokémon that are then sent to the official games or the changing of a Pokémon’s attributes outside of what is readily available in the titles already. These tactics directly violate the terms of service of the Pokémon series and, in most cases, provide players with unfair advantages over others—particularly in the competitive scene.

Those found to be abusing these features will have their online functionality taken away across multiple titles, including Pokémon Sword and Shield and likely the upcoming Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. This will prohibit players from trading and battling online, even if they have purchased the Nintendo Switch Online subscription.

Most notably, players who receive bans will no longer be able to use Pokémon HOME and its various connectivity features, including the Wonder Box and GTS. This will also limit their ability to bring Pokémon to Pokémon HOME via Pokémon Bank.

Players who have unintentionally received modified Pokémon through features such as Wonder Trade will “not be subject to restrictions,” according to an in-app notification. The only players being directly targeted with these bans are those who are actively manipulating data themselves.

Should a player be banned in this or any other wave, it is unlikely that said ban will be reversed, ultimately limiting their access to many features of these titles for good. More waves of bans are likely to be pushed in the future, particularly around the release of new games in the Pokémon series.