Some Gigamantax Pikachu and Eevee in Sword and Shield.
These franchise bonuses will also be present in Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl. Shared alongside the new Pokémon Legends: Arceus information, it was also revealed that Let's Go Pikachu and Eevee save data will allow players to unlock Mew, while Pokémon Sword and Shield data will grant Jirachi. It wouldn't be surprising if The Pokémon Company added a similar unlock bonus for Pokémon Legends: Arceus save data to the remakes after the new game launches in 2022.
The Pokémon Company has now unveiled Pokémon Legends: Arceus's own save data bonuses. Players with a Pokémon Sword and Shield save will be able to encounter Mythical Pokémon Shaymin (Land Forme), but it will only be accessible after beating the game's main quest. They will also receive a Shaymin Kimono Set for their trainer to wear, which can be acquired as soon as they the Galaxy Expedition Team.
Players who have save data from Pokémon: Let's Go Pikachu and Eevee will be able to claim a Pikachu Mask and an Eevee Mask for their character to wear. This can also be acquired as soon as they the Galaxy Expedition Team. These accessories will Pokémon Legends: Arceus's Baneful Fox Mask, an early-adopter bonus based on Hisuian Zoroark's appearance.
It's likely that players interested in Pokémon Legends: Arceus are already established fans of the Pokémon series, so there's a good chance many customers who buy the game will already have save data from one of the Pokémon games attached to their Nintendo Switch s. For those that don't own the games, it's still easy to acquire save data so long as one knows another player who owns a physical copy of the applicable games. In past instances, players only needs to reach as far as the first manual save point in a given game in order for the save data to be valid for promotional unlockables. This means Shaymin and the fancy Pokémon masks should be easy for all players to acquire, especially considering the popularity of Pokémon games on Nintendo Switch.
Pokémon Legends: Arceus will be available for Nintendo Switch on January 28, 2022.
