Pokemon Pokopia: Why Are Fans Upset With Latest Announcement?

The new spinoff Pokemon Pokopia has already upset fans over quite a few things that have come to light about it.

The newest Pokemon spinoff, Pokemon Pokopia, will release worldwide on March 5, 2026. However, several things about the new game have rubbed fans the wrong way. This includes the reveal that this game will be available in the form of a game-key card for the Nintendo Switch 2. Additionally, this game is slated to cost around $70, which is around the same for a copy of Pokemon Legends Z-A.

Pokemon Pokopia: Will There Be a Physical Copy on the Nintendo Switch 2?

Pokemon Pokopia involves playing as a Ditto that has taken a human form. It has been compared to Animal Crossing as the gameplay involves building a living space for Pokemon. However, the excitement for the game has dipped after learning that the game will be available as a game key card.

Game-key cards are “physical cards” for the Nintendo Switch 2, which do not actually contain the game itself. Instead, these are facsimile game carts that contains instructions on how to download the game. What this means is that fans will not actually own a physical copy and will be dependent on how long the servers for the game will be available.

This raises issues about how long the game will be playable. If Nintendo deems the game unprofitable down the line, they could stop supporting it. Even if that isn’t the immediate case, once the Switch 2 servers become obsolete and not worth maintaining in favor of newer consoles, players might not be able to play this game at all.

Pokemon Pokopia Will Cost As Much as a Mainline Game

What makes matters worse is that the game will cost $69.99. For comparison, that is the same price as Pokemon Legends Z-A on the same console. And you can get a physical copy of that game that you will still be able to access offline years from now. However, there is no guarantee that players will be able to do the same with this particular spin-off. As a result, fans will be speculating if Pokemon Pokopia is worth purchasing and supporting at all.

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