A third expansion for Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield could be in the works, if an increasingly reliable leak is to be believed. Pokemon fans understand very well that leaks and rumors within the community are rarely to be believed. However, every now and then a leak starts proving true as announcements are made about upcoming Pokemon content. That's exactly what could be happening here, with the leak's most exciting remaining claim being a third Pokemon Sword and Shield DLC in 2021.
The leak, unfortunately, stems from 4chan's Pokemon message board. It stems from a single post with no evidence of being accurate. However, it was posted in February 2020 and made several claims that look like they could now be true, leading some to reconsider its veracity. The claim of the leak is that the list it provides is of the next several Pokemon games to be released, starting with Pokemon Sword and Shield but going all the way through 2022.
The four claims that the post makes are as follows: "2020SWSH - DLC 1-2 + 200 mons; 2021 DPP Remakes - Simple Remake, this will not replace SWSH - Sinnoh Dex + 100 more; 2021 SWSH DLC 3 - releasing the rest of the missing pokemon + 3 new mythical; 2022 - Project Kingin." The Pokemon leaker provided no source for verifiable information alongside their leak.
The first claim is largely clear. Pokemon Sword and Shield, as well as The Isle of Armor and The Crown Tundra DLCs with 200 additional Pokemon, launched in 2020. The second claim has also proven accurate, with Pokemon Diamond and Pearl remakes being announced in February 2021. The third claim remains unannounced, which is what makes it very intriguing. As for the last claim, some believe Project Kingin is the recently announced Pokemon Legends Arceus, but that's purely speculation beyond its tentative 2022 release.
With half of the leak's claims now verified and another of them perhaps confirmed, that leaves the final claim left to be made official. If the rest of the leak is true, then surely Pokemon Sword and Shield's third DLC must be accurate as well. All that's left is for it to be announced and released.
There is room for skepticism, however. With the Pokemon Diamond and Pearl remakes tentatively launching in late 2021, that leaves just so many months for The Pokemon Company to announce and release the expansion without stepping on its toes. Plus, even if it was planned in early 2020, there's a chance it was canceled between then and now. The pandemic has led many companies to change plans. Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield players shouldn't give up hope yet, but until it's officially announced a third expansion may not be realistic.
Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield are available now on Nintendo Switch.