Pokémon Sword & Shield: 5 Confirmed Details (And 5 Predictions)
2. Know: Gyms Are Back
Trials were a nice break, but good to see it’s bringing core gameplay back, and gym battling has been a huge part of the game since the get go. Even Pokémon GO has implemented player controlled gyms and raid battles to obtain rare, strong and/or Legendary Pokémon, showing how crucial to the experience this is.
Though we don’t see the gym leaders or battles themselves in the trailer, we do see the trainer walking into two large arenas, ready for a fight. One appears to be a Grass gym with the leaf logo, while the other is reminiscent of a football player walking out of the tunnel; providing yet another link to Britain.
If these hints aren’t quite enough for you to count this as a ‘known’ feature, the gyms and the overall quest to become a Pokémon champion was mentioned in the Direct stream released beforehand. Presumably they’re saving the gym leaders for a later reveal, but wanted to set their stall out early for the basic gameplay.
As for what those gyms could be, there’s just one prediction left which deals with this very scenario...