Reputable Pokemon Scarlet and Violet leaker Riddler Khu has suggested that the upcoming games will feature less than half the total number of Pokemon. There was quite a bit of controversy surrounding Pokemon Sword and Shield when it came to light those games would not feature every previously-released Pokemon, and it seems that's going to be the norm for all main series Pokemon games moving forward.
It's been known for quite some time that Pokemon Scarlet and Violet would not have every Pokemon, but the question remains just how many Pokemon will be available to catch in the games. An official number has not been given by Game Freak, Nintendo, or The Pokemon Company, and so fans should keep that in mind. However, Riddler Khu has released a string of numbers that may give fans a general idea of how many Pokemon will be featured in the games.
Again, fans should take this information with a grain of salt despite Riddler Khu's reliability, and they should also keep in mind that there's a chance the tweet is being misinterpreted. In any case, Riddler Khu has tweeted out 297 + 103 = 400, (and 40+) without explicitly saying what the numbers mean. Fans have read between the lines, and they've reached the conclusion that it likely means there will be 103 new Pokemon in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet at launch, 297 Pokemon returning from past games, and over 40 that will be obtained in some other method. It's possible this is referencing Pokemon that can be transferred to Pokemon Scarlet and Violet but don't actually exist in the Paldea region, or it could be Pokemon that are being reserved as DLC.
Assuming this interpretation is correct, it means that Pokemon Scarlet and Violet will launch with around 400 Pokemon for players to catch as they explore the Paldea region. This in turn means that the Paldea Pokedex has the same number of Pokemon as the Galar Pokedex, 400. There are 905 total Pokemon in the franchise, meaning that Pokemon Scarlet and Violet will effectively have less than half of the Pokemon that exist.
This may be disappointing news for some players, especially those who were upset when Pokemon Sword and Shield dropped the National Pokedex, but others will likely be fine with it. After all, there were only 151 Pokemon in the original games, so having 400 to catch should keep Pokemon fans plenty busy when the new games launch next month.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet launch November 18, exclusively for the Nintendo Switch.