New Pokemon Snap has just been given a free DLC update. Fans are very excited about this, because as much as they wanted it, there was no way to see it coming. A year ago, it seemed like a brand new Pokemon Snap was nothing more than a pipe dream. But now, it's here, it's well received, and it's getting support. That support is pretty significant, too. Three brand-new stages with new styles of secret routes, and a batch of new Pokemon and old ones in new situations, were a part of this update. While it isn't clear if this is the end of New Pokemon Snap's support, just getting more than what they expected has already impressed fans a lot.

This surprise update isn't just good for Pokemon Snap fans, either. Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield also had a considerable amount of post-launch support. The Pokemon Sword and Shield Expansion Pass, consisting of The Isle of Armor and The Crown Tundra, both provided hours of post-game content and new features to Pokemon fans. They also added in a lot of the Pokemon that fans felt were missing from the base rosters. They essentially replaced the extra content offering that a third mainline Pokemon game in a generation would normally provide. This may indicate a trend in how Pokemon games will be supported, which is good news for fans.

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Pokemon and Post-Launch Support

Pokemon has been receiving new content after its launch for a long time. As previously mentioned, Pokemon has had a long and proud history of adding content after launch. The very first Pokemon games in Japan were Red and Green, which were quickly followed up by Pokemon Blue, which had upgraded visuals and audio. A couple years later, Pokemon Yellow was released with a lot of new content, and the intent was to make players feel like they were playing as Ash Ketchum in the anime. Re-releases with more content have been a trend with Japanese video games, but in the modern era, the ability to release patches and expansions is making them obsolete.

Still, that only came about recently. Second versions of Pokemon games have been released up to Pokemon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, the seventh generation of Pokemon and the last mainline games on Nintendo handhelds. Pokemon X and Y didn’t get any expanded versions, but in their place were remakes of Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire, which also served as a sort of expansion to the sixth generation competitive lineup.

Spin-offs haven’t received much in the way of updated re-releases, but Pokemon Go may have started the trend of digital updates for the series, and Pokemon Unite looks to continue it. Pokemon Sword and Shield broke new ground for the mainline games with their Expansion Pass, and Bandai Namco's New Pokemon Snap followed up its Pokken Tournament DX as the second console Pokemon spin-off to get major updates through DLC.

RELATED: New Pokemon Snap: All Pokemon Confirmed in the New Update

The Need For Support in Pokemon

The Pokemon Company settlement Game Freak

It appears that post-launch DLC is becoming normalized in the Pokemon franchise, as it should be. While “catching ‘em all” isn’t the name of the game anymore, DLC can still fill in any holes in the games’ content as development becomes more complicated, and can give fans more of any spin-off they already like.

The first priority for DLC should be filling out the Pokemon roster over the course of the next couple of major console Pokemon entries. The scale of Pokemon is at the point where Game Freak can’t reliably fit every Pokemon into every game anymore, and it needs the extra time to work on animations and modelling. If Legends and the generation 9 Pokemon games release with incomplete rosters like Sword and Shield, more Pokemon can gradually be rolled in through DLC. It will be a slow and painful process, but it may very well be what Game Freak needs to do to innovate on its games.

Another problem that can be solved with DLC is a lack of post-game content. The post-game can make or break a Pokemon game for a lot of players, and many have felt that it’s been seriously lacking since Black 2 and White 2 on the Nintendo DS. Others would say that the troubles had already begun by then, as the beloved Battle Frontier from Pokemon Emerald and all of generation 4 had been phased out.

Whatever the case, the extra campaigns, maps, and modes offered in Pokemon Sword and Shield’s DLC were lifesavers, as those games may have had the most barren post-game yet. All the extra content and new Pokemon introduced in that DLC also shook up the competitive balance, which certainly pleased the crowd who was into that style of play.

The Future of Pokemon DLC

Pokemon Legends Arceus Protagonist overlooking region

Pokemon’s future is a little unclear right now, but this DLC trend should definitely follow it moving forward. Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl probably won’t receive much in the way of post-launch content, but Pokemon Legends: Arceus, Game Freak’s current project, just might. With it’s new open-world format and deliberately limited pool of Pokemon, the game will be ripe for future expansion. And as mentioned above, it is in Game Freak and Pokemon’s best interests for more Pokemon to be included as major games come out.

The same process can be used for the inevitable next full generation of Pokemon, and hopefully by generation 10 the roster will be in a more stable and complete state. Regular infusions of new modes, areas, and competitive changes will also help the games to stay healthy.

And that goes double for the Pokemon spin-offs. New Pokemon Snap was not hurting for content, but this new update has given players hours of additional content for free. That makes the game come off as more valuable and increases buyer goodwill. Pokemon Go and Unite will continue to do their thing, but other Pokemon spin-offs should also strive to keep themselves relevant months after their release.

Even one large update within their first year can already make these games that much more appealing. With all the Pokemon content coming out and expected to come out in the future, it’s a great time to be a fan. It’s in Game Freak and its partner developers’ interests to keep that feeling flowing.

New Pokemon Snap is now available for the Nintendo Switch.

MORE: Pokemon Sword and Shield: Will There Be More DLC?