Ever since their debut back in Pokemon's sixth generation, regional forms have been a highly anticipated part of each new game in the series, but Pokemon Scarlet and Violet seem to introduce have an unusually low number of variants. Excluding the additional evolutions tacked on to certain regional forms from Gen 8 onwards, so far eighteen Pokemon received new forms in Sun and Moon, nineteen in Sword and Shield, and seventeen in Legends: Arceus. As a result, it's stumped fans as to why Pokemon Scarlet and Violet only gave just two Pokemon new forms.
While there isn't any quota Game Freak has to meet when it comes to introducing new regional forms for each generation, it does seem to be wasted potential that Scarlet and Violet didn't go further with regional forms influenced by the Spanish inspiration behind Paldea. However, when looking at the bigger picture of Scarlet and Violet and factoring in what Game Freak was trying to achieve, there are some explanations as to why there aren't as many regional forms. Between the games' unique Paradox Pokemon to new regional fakes seemingly based on convergent evolution, it seems regional forms had to be put on the back burner.
Current Paldean Regional Forms
Early on in Scarlet and Violet's marketing, Game Freak revealed the Paldean form of Wooper, a new Poison/Ground type that contrasted against the original Johtonian Water/Ground. When Quagsire didn't naturally follow Wooper in receiving its own regional form, fans were quick to deduce that this meant Gen 9 would deliver a new evolution instead. Though it didn't surprise fans that Wooper would receive a regional evolution after Sword and Shield had popularized the gimmick, likely saving Clodsire's reveal for the final launch, what did strike fans as odd was the following silence on any announcements of other regional forms.
It wasn't until Scarlet and Violet's actual release that fans could finally see the full Paldean Pokedex, which revealed that the only other Pokemon to receive an explicit regional form was Tauros. Technically Tauros received not one but three new forms, but whichever way players look at Gen 9, there has been a significant lack of regional forms compared to previous games. Roughly every game since regional forms were officially introduced has brought between fifteen and twenty new forms, so going from double digits to just two has given those expecting more some whiplash from the sudden shift.
Other New Forms Elsewhere
The obvious answer as to why this might be the case is because Scarlet and Violet's most significant introduction could be its Paradox Pokemon. While the concept was leaked early on - and only confirmed just days before the game's official launch - there are more than enough Paradox Pokemon to make up for the lack of regional forms. However, the fourteen Paradox Pokemon introduced, not including the mascot legendaries, were split evenly as version exclusives to each game nor are these Pokemon explicitly regional forms. Arguably, if future games were to add more Paradox Pokemon, fans could see some introduced in Scarlet and Violet return.
The other new "forms" introduced in Scarlet and Violet appear to be inspired by convergent evolution. Dubbed by fans as regional fakes, this new concept proposed how some Pokemon might share their appearances yet remain completely unconnected. Wiglett was the first of these to be revealed in Scarlet and Violet's marketing, but with the games officially released, it seems there are four regional fakes: Wiglett and Wugtrio, and Toedscool and Toedscruel. Though this only introduces two evolutionary lines, regional fakes could be Game Freak's way of exploring concepts outside of explicit regional forms.
In addition to both Paradox Pokemon and regional fakes, it could be argued that the five new evolutions to existing Pokemon lines were also intended to bolster the number of new forms introduced in Scarlet and Violet. While Clodsire is one example of a regional evolution, the four other evolutions introduced like Farigiraf or Dundunsparce might not be region-specific, but they are expanding on existing Pokemon all the same. Therefore, between regional fakes, Paradox Pokemon, and the other new regional or otherwise evolutions, it seems Gen 9 has more than enough new forms.
New Forms Could Come With DLC
Even before Scarlet and Violet had been released, fans were discussing the possibility of DLC for the Gen 9 games and what this might entail. Sword and Shield's own DLC had set a precedent among player expectations that new Pokemon and forms could be saved as extra content to help the longevity of the game. While the Isle of Armor and Crown Tundra DLCs didn't go overboard in terms of adding new forms, it does offer fans hope that Scarlet and Violet could have more in store for its regional forms than what's been seen so far.
For instance, while some leaks were proven true, there were many others that were either false or misinterpreted, which leaves a wealth of rumored ideas and concepts on the table that Scarlet and Violet have failed to explore yet. With the games' strong focus on food between its Pokedex entries and sandwich feature, many fans had anticipated food-based Pokemon lines would receive variants after supposed leaks suggested Cherubi or Spritzee might get regional forms. Though this was not the case, a DLC centered around Paldea's Spanish influence and relationship with food could add these and more.
Other proposed regional forms instead looked beyond Scarlet and Violet leaks to create fan-based ideas that players hoped Game Freak might be considering. While each player might have a different list of Pokemon they wished would receive a new form, a common thread of Pokemon that some felt deserved regional forms began to emerge prior to the games' launch. These examples instead looked to other areas of Spanish culture and history for inspiration, like a Dragon-type Roselia line influenced by Spain's Festival of Sant Jordi or a Honedge line reinterpreted as rapiers due to fencing's popularity in Spain.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are available now for Nintendo Switch.