Pokemon Stadium 1 & 2 On Switch Online Will Not Support Transfers

Yesterday, Nintendo announced they would be bringing Pokemon Stadium 1 and Pokemon Stadium 2 to Switch via the Switch Online Expansion Pack.

Unfortunately, the Switch Online versions of the games will lack an important feature that was present in the original games: the ability to transfer Pokemon. This feature was a critical part of the original release on the N64, as it would allow players to transfer their beloved Pokemon from their Game Boy games into Pokemon Stadium, where they would be able to battle it out in 3D, possibly the first ever instance of this in the franchise.

Although no official reason for the lack of transfer compatibility was given, Serebii.net’s Joe Merrick speculates that this could be due to the lack of Gen I Pokemon games on the Switch. In a long and detailed Twitter thread, Merrick explained that there are a number of technical hurdles that would need to be jumped through to transfer Pokemon from games outside of the Switch ecosystem, such as through the 3DS Virtual Console or Pokemon HOME,  which may have been too potentially difficult or time-consuming for the developers to consider.

Without the ability to transfer Pokemon, Switch Online Expansion Pack subscribers will only be able to play Pokemon Stadium 1 and 2 with rental teams, which many fans would say is not the ideal way to enjoy these games. We will be sure to report back on more developments as they come.

What do you think? Let us know in the comments.