This article was originally written for TheNintendoVillage.com, a website I founded and ran from 2018 to 2021.

Following earlier reports that Pokémon Sword and Shield would contain 18 gyms, The Pokémon Company have issued a statement clarifying the matter, and it’s bad news for those of us hoping for a more expansive Pokémon experience.

It turns out that while the Galar region in which the game takes place is indeed home to 18 gyms spread across Major and Minor leagues, players will only concern themselves with the Major leagues, and thus only challenge the traditional 8 gym leaders throughout the course of the game.

The Minor leagues are merely part of the game’s lore. Gyms moving between the Major and Minor leagues explains why players of Pokémon Sword will find different gyms to take on than those who pick up Pokémon Shield.

Here’s the full statement:

In the Galar region, Pokémon Gym Battles are popular sporting events, and the 18 different types of Gyms that exist in Galar contribute to the background setting of the story in Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield. In each game, Trainers must collect eight Gym Badges to complete the Gym Challenge and earn the opportunity to participate in the Champion Cup.
Over the course of the main story, Trainers will challenge eight Gyms, which are all in the Major League. Which Gyms appear in the Major League and Minor League will differ between Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield. For example, depending on the version of the game, Trainers will be able to challenge different Gym Leaders, such as Bea or Allister.
Each version will have eight Gyms and eight Gym Leaders that Trainers can battle for a traditional Gym Challenge experience that fans have enjoyed throughout the Pokémon video game series.

So there you have it, just the usual 8 gyms to tackle. Are you disappointed by this news, or are you happy for the ‘traditional Gym Challenge experience’? Let us know down in the comments.

Source: Game Informer