A code to claim Zarude, the Dark and Grass-type Pokémon, via Pokémon Sword and Shield’s Mystery Gift feature was supposed to be attached to December’s Pokémon Trainer Club Newsletter, as long as gamers signed up before November 20.
However, when the newsletter was distributed in mid-December, many trainers said they didn’t receive it. There are threads and threads on Reddit and other forums in which gamers ask why they didn’t receive their newsletter with the Zarude code. Unfortunately, there has been no official reason given for the mishap.
When Newsweek reached out to The Pokémon Company International at the time, they delivered this statement:
“Trainers who signed up for Pokémon Trainer Club email notifications by November 20, 2020, received a Pokémon Trainer Club email containing a distribution code for Zarude for their Pokémon Sword or Pokémon Shield video game by December 11, 2020. Those experiencing any issues can contact Pokémon Customer Support at support.pokemon.com for assistance.”
Unfortunately, it seems like the time to reach out to Pokémon Support has ended.
Newsweek has received numerous screenshots of apparent correspondence with Pokémon Support from multiple gamers, who look to have been told that there are no more codes to give.
“We’re sorry to hear you had trouble receiving your recent newsletter. We apologize but we have no replacement codes for this promotion as of 12/22/2020. It can be difficult to determine what may have happened that prevented you from receiving the newsletter, but the following steps might help ensure you are signed up for newsletters in the future,” the correspondence reads in at least two separate exchanges.
The correspondence then shares steps that trainers can take to make sure they’ve opted-in to receive emails from the newsletter.
Newsweek has reached out to The Pokémon Company for comment and confirmation that there are no more codes available.
Despite the players’ correspondence saying that Zarude codes were tapped out by December 22, some trainers believe there is still a chance to get a Zarude code.
On Reddit, there are a number of threads in which users share their experience with Pokémon Support and how they received a code. When some users wrote that they were told there are no more Zarude codes, some people said to keep asking because that’s what worked for them.
“You have to respond one more time past the first rejection. I think that’s some kind of canned reply they use to quickly answer folks. And remember to be nice, even if they still reject you anyway,” one user wrote.
Now, this doesn’t guarantee that Pokémon Support will give you a code for Zarude, but reaching out again seems like the only course of action until the Pokémon is distributed again.
Let us know your experience with Pokémon Support in the comments section.
