A recent survey of the competitive Pokémon Scarlet and Violet community has shed light on the prevalence of cheating in the popular Nintendo Switch game. The survey analyzed teams used by professional players and found that over 50 percent of them did not conform to the game’s current rules.
The data, which examined over 850 recent rental teams, revealed that a significant portion of them had been illegally modified. This revelation has sparked controversy within the Pokémon fandom, raising questions about what constitutes cheating and whether stricter measures should be implemented by The Pokémon Company to ensure fair competition.
One of the main reasons behind the widespread cheating is the time-consuming nature of the game. Players are required to invest hundreds of hours into grinding and training new teams whenever strategies change. As a result, some players opt to generate their preferred teams using unauthorized tools like PKHeX. These teams are not inherently stronger than normal Pokémon, but they are much easier to obtain.
The survey conducted by Kurt, the creator of PKHeX, found that approximately 17 percent of teams in the World Championship had hacked Pokémon. Even the 2023 champion, Shohei Kimura, potentially had modified Pokémon on his team. Tang Shiliang, another top competitor, was also suspected of fielding hacked Pokémon. However, it should be noted that simply possessing these Pokémon does not necessarily imply illicit activity. Players often trade for teams without being aware of any modifications made.
The use of PKHeX, the tool responsible for creating these hacked Pokémon, has raised debates about the extent of cheating. Some fans argue that it goes against the spirit and integrity of the game, which revolves around the concept of raising Pokémon like virtual pets. On the other hand, others believe that allowing shortcuts would enable more people to participate in online play and enjoy high-level Pokémon battles.
Ironically, Kurt, the creator of PKHeX, does not absolve its use in competitive play. While he acknowledges that it may not grant players an advantage during battles, he believes that the time saved by using such tools can instead be invested in understanding the metagame and developing a wider array of teams. Despite this, Kurt recognizes the entitlement that some players display and emphasizes that the future of Pokémon battles may not be as accessible as it is now if changes aren’t made.
Kurt remains skeptical that the next Nintendo console will have the same vulnerabilities that allowed hacking to flourish on the Switch. He also doubts that the company will introduce official shortcuts for competitive play, indicating that players may face difficulties in the future if accessibility concerns are not addressed promptly.
