While the release of Pokemon Sword and Shield's Isle of Armor DLC brought extra attention to the game, Game Freak has been keeping it alive since release through constant changes to the Max Raid Battle schedule in the Wild Area, allowing trainers to go up against different gargantuan Pokemon more frequently every few weeks. Over this weekend, the Max Raid event has featured shiny Wailord, but through the rest of July it will begin to focus on Rock and Steel-type Pokemon.
According to data gathered by Pokemon news site Serebii, the returning Max Raid Battle event, which runs until midnight on July 31, spotlights Pokemon from the Onix, Rhyhorn, Rolycoly, Cufant, and Galarian Meowth evolutionary lines. The Gigantamax forms of Coalossal and Copperajah are also prominent features, though Isle of Armor added a new way for players to get Gigantamax Pokemon independent of Max Raid Battles.
With more people playing Sword and Shield thanks to the recent DLC, as a second half of the expansion called the Crown Tundra is planned to release later this year, it makes sense for Game Freak to keep up its cycling Max Raid Battle events. Though the Rock and Steel-type Pokemon are not quite as exciting as the shiny Zeraora Max Raid event that ran in June, any excuse to play with friends is appreciated.
Though the Generation 8 Pokemon games were marred with controversies leading up to release because of cut content and graphical concerns, they have gone on to be hugely successful for The Pokemon Company. Pokemon Sword and Shield became the best-selling games in a single generation just two months after they released according to Nintendo financial reports, and the series' first attempt at DLC promises to extend that life further.
Pokemon has been a phenomenon since the series began on the Game Boy in the 1990s, which has allowed its scope to broaden onto an inconceivable number of toys, crossovers, and other tie-in merchandising. Starting tomorrow, Japanese Baskin-Robbins stores will sell Pokemon-themed ice cream to advertise Pokemon the Movie: Coco.
As Sword and Shield continue to see content through their Max Raid Battles, so too do various spin-off games currently available. For example, mobile game developer DeNA has announced major updates for Pokemon Masters' first anniversary, and the puzzle game Pokemon Cafe Mix has been adding new monsters through special events since launch.
Pokemon Sword and Shield are available now on Nintendo Switch.