Ever since thePokémonfranchise went fully 3D during the Nintendo Switch era - discounting its various 3D spin-offs prior to that, of course - it’s felt like the series has been struggling. It’s still able to pull in ridiculous numbers, with each generation selling more copies than the last, but the hardware hasn’t been quite able to keep up with Game Freak’s ever-growing ambitions for the series, nor its dogmatic fan base’s demands.
Pokémon Scarlet & Violet’sperformance woeswere just the tip of the iceberg, as the series seems to be on a steady and inevitable decline in quality the more generations that are released. As fans get closer and closer to Gen 10,it is becoming abundantly clear thatPokémoncan no longer sustain the level of quality that fans and its developers want. Unfortunately,Pokémonhas almost always been doomed from the start, and it is only a matter of time before it all comes crashing down.
New Generations Are Making It Hard For Developers
They Need To Be Bigger
One of the core tenets of thePokémonfranchise is catching them all, so it is only natural that each new generation seeks to include literally all, or at least most, of the previous generations' Pokémon. This is either done at launch, or through various events and updates throughout a game’s lifespan, such as with theScarlet and Violetgames. While a lot of fans like to see every Pokémon included, a fullPokédex is bad forPokémonasit presents a huge technical problem that Game Freak can’t solve with the limited hardware it is working with.
Speaking to ScreenRant, Serebii’sJoe Merrick discussed how the increased number of new Pokémon coupled with the switch to 3D has led tonewer generations struggling with performance issues. He explained that “there are about 1400 different Pokémon models. If they’re making a new feature which has five animations, that’s 7,000 animations which need to be made just for this one tiny feature,” which is substantially different from whenPokémonwas a sprite-based game, as the animations were simpler, and there were far fewer Pokémon to bring to life. He went on to say:
“The scope of that is so much different to when it was a sprite-based game. It’s definitely something which people online, especially people who are in the field, in the industry, should definitely consider. It’s like the comparison of Breath of the Wild, Breath of the Wild had 20 unique enemy models, whereas Pokémon Sword and Shield had 663.”
It isn’t just the increased size in Pokédex that is putting such a technical strain on contemporaryPokémonvideo games.Scarlet and Violetmade the jump to an open-world structure, which naturally required a greater amount of power to run. Even with its low-resolution textures, it struggled to hit a stable framerate on the Nintendo Switch. The sprawling cities, rolling fields, and dusty dunes, in combination with the huge Pokédex and numerous other technically demanding features, led to them being broken games out of the gate.
Can Switch 2 Save Pokémon?
Not For Long
Naturally, one would assume that many of these issues will be assuaged by the Switch 2, a substantially more powerful piece of hardware likely capable of handling a lot ofPokémon’stechnical demands. TheSwitch 2’s leaked specsdo indicate that it will be as powerful as a PS4 Pro or Steam Deck, which would imply that it should be able to run a game like Pokémon Scarlet and Violet quite well. However,this issue is far more nuanced, as the Nintendo Switch’s potential power is already well behind the competition, being obsolete the moment it releases.
This poses a significant problem for Nintendo and Game Freak, as, even if the Switch 2 can run the current generation ofPokémongames,what happens when players hit Gen 11, 12, 13, or even 20? Nintendo may have come up with another console by then, but players potentially have two or three more generations - or even more considering the rate at which Game Freak is pumping out new Pokémon games - on the Switch 2.
The solution then is for future generations to ditchPokémon’smost demanding feature: the Pokédex.
The solution then is for future generations toditchPokémon’smost demanding feature: the Pokédex.Shrinking it or sticking to purely new Pokémon would allow Game Freak to implement the dozens of other featuresfans want to see. However, that’s not really feasible, as much of an easy solution as it is, especially considering how integral having a complete Pokédex is to the series and fans.
Pokémon Legends: Z-A Is Making A Smart Choice
It Is Repeating History
Of course, Game Freak has somewhat addressed this problem with itsPokémon Legendsseries. BothArceusand the upcomingZ-Afocus on older Pokémon in a familiar setting, thus ensuring that the Pokédex size is kept relatively small, especially when compared to the mainline series. Pokémon Legends: Arceus' performance wasn’t great, and its world was somewhat difficult to look at, butit was leagues ahead ofScarlet and Violet, likely due to its smaller scale.
Pokémon Gen 10 Must Abandon The Worst Part Of Scarlet & Violet To Truly Succeed
Pokémon Scarlet and Violet have a lot of redeeming qualities, but one of their worst features absolutely needs to go for Gen 10 to succeed.
Unfortunately, Game Freak can’t ditch the mainline series, nor can it curb its ambitions or the never-ending Pokédex. As a result,Pokémonwill inevitably hit a point in which its mechanical demands far exceed the capabilities of the hardware it is running on, thus resulting in yet another technical disaster likeScarlet and Violet. Hopefully, the improved power of the Switch 2 can delay the inevitable for a while, but inevitablyPokémonwill get much worse.
