Pokémon on Nintendo Switch 2 is already off to a bad start – Reader’s Feature

A reader worries that Pokémon Legends: Z-A will have the same technical flaws as its predecessors and that Nintendo is not properly preparing Pokémon for the Switch 2.

Everyone’s trying to guess what games will be shown at the Nintendo Direct in April, for the Nintendo Switch 2, but it doesn’t seem very likely that there’ll be a Gen X Pokémon game (i.e. the sequel to Scarlet/Violet). It’s about time for it but developer Game Freak already have Pokémon Legends: Z-A out this year, which isn’t a Switch 2 game, so you’d assume they haven’t got time.

Stupidly, they did release Pokémon Legends: Arceus and Pokémon Scarlet/Violet in the same year but I really hope they learned from that one. They both sold OK but they were an even bigger technical disaster than usual for Game Freak.

Pokémon is one of the biggest brands in the world, but the games are consistently the worst looking first party games on the Switch, and by a wide margin. Not just ugly and low tech but filled with bugs and low production levels, with no voice acting and just a general air of low effort laziness.

It’s not laziness, I know that; it’s because the developers are being worked to death with unreasonable schedules and not enough resources. But as a result, all the games come across as being unambitious and low budget, like an indie clone of Pokémon rather than what you’d expect of the series itself.

I am not the first fan to say that Game Freak should be given more money, more people, and more time but I see no evidence that they have been. After the disaster of Scarlet and Violet they should’ve committed to a longer development time for Gen X and concentrated on that and only that.

But what did they do? They immediately started working on another spin-off. They will have had less than three years to make Z-A (maybe much less, depending on how long they were still making the DLC for Scarlet and Violet) and yet we know a high quality modern video game now takes at least five years, especially if the Switch 2 is more powerful. Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom took that long and it reused the same map and gameplay from the previous game!

We also know Game Freak don’t have enough staff to make two big games at once, so either it’s going to be another five years till Gen X or they’re going to rush it out in three or less and it’s going to be another disaster. Given the last two games, what would you bet on it being?

They should never have started work on Pokémon Legends: Z-A. If they got someone else to make it then fine, it’s still unnecessary but at least it wouldn’t be affecting work on Gen X, but that doesn’t seem to be the case.

Or, of course, they could get someone else to make the next mainline game, which I would be totally fine with. At this point it would be good to see a different take on things, but I think it’s pretty obvious that’s not going to be the case either.

Zelda, Fire Emblem, Animal Crossing… so many Nintendo franchises got revamps on the Switch that were amongst the best the various games had ever been. Except Pokémon, which was the worst it’s ever been.

The Switch 2 isn’t out yet – we have barely even seen the first game – and already Pokémon seems to be on the wrong course with it. The franchise needs its biggest shake-up ever, in terms of video games, and yet Pokémon Legends: Z-A implies it’s just the same disappointing business as usual.

By reader Babooshka

The reader’s features do not necessarily represent the views of GameCentral or Metro.

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