I'm Worried That Gen 10 Pokémon Could Make A Huge Mistake On Switch 2

The next Pokémon game has a lot of hype behind it, and I'm not referring to Pokémon Legends Z-A. While plenty of people are excited about the next entry into the Legends series, it is the next mainline Pokémon game that has actually been talked about. It is the game that has the most to prove, with the last Pokémon game, Scarlet and Violet, resulting in a disastrous launch and leaving behind little legacy. Perhaps more importantly, it is the first Pokémon game 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 a Switch 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 mainline Pokémon game 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 the Switch 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 the Switch 2's drastically improved hardware. This could mean that the Gen 10 Pokémon game could end up looking as good as Legends Z-A, which is not an ideal situation, especially if it ends up being more ambitious.

Pikachu and Charizard in front of Hong Kong.

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While I doubt the Gen 10 Pokémon game's launch will be quite as bad as Scarlet 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 subpar Pokémon games - Legends Arceus aside, of course.

Pokémon Gen 10 Needs To Be A Switch 2 Exclusive

We Can't Keep Getting Ugly Pokémon Games

Several graphic glitches on Pokemon Scarlet and Violet.

If the Gen 10 Pokémon games are going to fix Scarlet and Violet's biggest 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 to Pokémon, at least not to the same degree as it does to the majority of third-party software like Cyberpunk 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 hardware with 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. Pokémon has felt outdated for 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 10 Pokémon games 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 when Pokémon was 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 10 Pokémon games 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

Player giving a thumbs up over a Lumiose City background from Pokemon Legends Z-A.

It is also time that The Pokémon Company started investing more in the Pokémon video games, as well as their developer, Game Freak. Pokémon sells extremely well and is one of Nintendo's most profitable franchises of all time. In fact, according to the official Pokémon website, over 480 million copies of Pokémon games 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 its official website. That's less than Warhorse Studios, the folks behind Kingdom 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 mainline Pokémon console game and the Legends spin-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 many Pokémon games, especially when they're released annually.

Arden and Larry from Pokemon Scarlet and Violet looking sad.

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Not even Activision uses a similar model for Call 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 produce Pokémon games, especially if it's forced to make them cross-gen releases, or else we'll suffer from yet another Scarlet and Violet release. If the Gen 10 Pokémon games are to be truly great, they not only need to be a Switch 2 exclusive, they also need more support from The Pokémon Company.

Source: The Pokémon Company, Game Freak