Pokémon Scarlet & Violet had hidden DLC reference the whole time

Pokémon Scarlet & Violet fans have discovered that the game has a hidden reference to its upcoming DLC, which has been sitting in plain sight this whole time. Then again, fans can be forgiven for missing anything on the overworld, considering how poor the visuals and performance are in these games.

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Twitter users lumiosepost and SoulSilverArt uncovered and revealed the reference on social media. It turns out that there is a poster advertising Pokémon Scarlet & Violet’s first DLC, The Teal Mask, in Medali. It’s not surprising that many fans missed this poster, as it doesn’t stand out as important, and there’s no obvious text or visuals hinting at its connection to any specific Pokémon, at least ones that have been unveiled.

This isn’t the first time that The Pokémon Company has hidden these references in plain sight, as the mainline games will usually include a small hint at future titles, even though fans won’t realize their relevance until much further down the line. In fact, both Pokémon Sword & Shield and Pokémon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl featured hints that pointed toward Pokémon Scarlet & Violet. In those games, there were references to the colors and fruits associated with the Gen IX games, suggesting that they were already in development when the older games were still being made.

The Pokémon video games have moved toward a DLC model, having abandoned the third game per generation format that was used in the old days. This means that the Pokémon Scarlet & Violet DLC was being planned while the games were being developed, with the idea of several years of post-launch support, so it’s not surprising that the Paldea region has some nods toward upcoming content.