The nextPokémongame has a lot of hype behind it, and I’m not referring toPokémon Legends Z-A. While plenty of people are excited about the next entry into theLegendsseries, it is the next mainlinePokémongame that has actually been talked about. It is the game that has the most to prove, with the lastPokémongame,Scarlet and Violet, resulting in a disastrous launch and leaving behind little legacy. Perhaps more importantly, it is the firstPokémongame that has the opportunity to make the most of the Nintendo Switch 2.
While Pokémon Legends Z-A will be on Nintendo’s next console, it is only though aSwitch 2 enhanced version. That’s because, unfortunately, it is a cross-gen title, which is why we’re saddled with yet another Pokémon game that looks like it was made 15 years ago rather than a true AAA experience. So, it is up to the Gen 10 Pokémon game to show what the Switch 2 is capable of and how it can benefit the series. Well,that would be the case were it not for the distinct possibility that the next Pokémon game could also be a cross-gen release.
Pokémon Gen 10 Could Be Stuck In The Past
It May Launch As A Cross-Gen Title
While Nintendo hasn’t confirmed which platform(s) the next mainlinePokémongame will be on - let alone any information about it -there is a very good chance that it will be a cross-gen release rather than a Switch 2 exclusive. That’s because Nintendo is dedicated to supporting the original Nintendo Switch during the lengthy transition to the Switch 2. It is clearly aware that theSwitch 2 is extortionately priced, at least for the majority of people, and, as a result, wants to ensure that the huge Switch player base is still catered to.
That’s admirable and makes sense from a financial standpoint, as Nintendo shouldn’t give up on the Switch’s 150 million install base. However,it could end up meaning that a lot of first-party games end up being released on both the original Switch and the Switch 2. As a result, they wouldn’t be able to make the most of theSwitch 2’s drastically improved hardware. This could mean that the Gen 10Pokémongame could end up looking as good asLegends Z-A, which is not an ideal situation, especially if it ends up being more ambitious.
10 Regions That Would Be Perfect For Pokémon Gen 10
Pokémon regions have always drawn inspiration from different regions in the real world and there are many that would be perfect for Gen 10.
While I doubt the Gen 10Pokémongame’s launch will be quite asbad asScarlet and Violet’s,if Game Freak wants to have yet another enormous open-world with optional co-op and as many Pokémon as it can cram into the Pokédex, it’ll need a lot more power than the Nintendo Switch can provide. That’s why it is so important for it to release exclusively on the Switch 2, as the alternative could mean yet another disappointing release in a long line of subparPokémongames -Legends Arceusaside, of course.
Pokémon Gen 10 Needs To Be A Switch 2 Exclusive
We Can’t Keep Getting Ugly Pokémon Games
If the Gen 10Pokémongames are going tofixScarlet and Violet’sbiggest mistakes, then they need the improved power and functions of the Nintendo Switch 2. It isn’t just that the Nintendo Switch 2 can run more graphically intensive games or has ray-tracing functionality. None of that really matters toPokémon, at least not to the same degree as it does to the majority of third-party software likeCyberpunk 2077. Rather,the Switch 2 is more capable of handling the sprawling open-world design and huge roster of Pokémon that Game Freak so desperately wants in its games.
If we’re really going to have every Pokémon ever made in one game, then it needs to be running on more powerful hardwarewith cartridges that can handle bigger games. Even beyond that, including basic gameplay features that have eluded the series, like voice acting and better exploration, requires more power or, at the very least, storage.Pokémonhas felt outdatedfor a long time now, and that’s largely because the hardware it is running on was outdated the second it came out.
If the Gen 10Pokémongames are cross-gen releases, then that sets the franchise back even further, and fans will have to wait several years before the next one comes out.
None of this really mattered whenPokémonwas running on the DS or Game Boy, but now that it’s on hardware that is supposedly competing with PlayStation and Xbox, it needs to look and act the part.If the Gen 10Pokémongames are cross-gen releases, then that sets the franchise back even further, and fans will have to wait several years before the next one comes out. By that point, there’s even a chance that the Switch 2 will be too outdated to keep up with Game Freak’s ever-growing ambitions.
The Pokémon Company Needs To Start Investing More In Pokémon Games
It Is Time It Took Them Seriously
It is also time that The Pokémon Company started investing more in thePokémonvideo games, as well as their developer, Game Freak.Pokémonsells extremely welland is one of Nintendo’s most profitable franchises of all time. In fact, according to theofficialPokémonwebsite, over 480 million copies ofPokémongames have been sold, which is a staggering amount. The Pokémon Company doesn’t even just make money from the console releases, but also from merchandise, TV shows and films, and the many mobile games.
So,it is baffling that Game Freak only has 207 employees, according to itsofficial website. That’s less than Warhorse Studios, the folks behindKingdom Come Deliverance 2, less than Larian Studios, and less than Nintendo’s first-party studio, Monolith Soft. Game Freak is solely responsible for the development of every mainlinePokémonconsole game and theLegendsspin-offs - it does receive help from support studios and first-party Nintendo developers like Monolith Soft. That’s too few employees to be making that manyPokémongames, especially when they’re released annually.
10 Features Pokémon Gen 10 Needs To Leave Behind
The next mainline Pokémon game has a lot of potential to be something truly special, but if it wants to succeed, it must drop these bad features.
Not even Activision uses a similar model forCall of Duty, as it has multiple studios developing individual parts of each game so that they can release once a year. Game Freak is clearly in need of more resources, staff, and time to producePokémongames, especially if it’s forced to make them cross-gen releases, or else we’ll suffer from yet anotherScarlet and Violetrelease. If the Gen 10Pokémongames are to be truly great, they not only need to be a Switch 2 exclusive, they also need more support from The Pokémon Company.
