The Pokemon Company Has Lost Its Way and Me as a Fan

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I used to get incredibly excited whenever a new Pokémon game was announced. Some of my fondest childhood memories involve playing with my brother during our commutes to school. Since then, I’ve spent countless hours discovering new areas, completing the Pokédex, and battling it out with friends. Pokémon wasn’t just a hobby; it was a cultural moment that sparked our imaginations and brought us together. We shared stories about our adventures, the unique names we gave our Pokémon, and enjoyed revisiting and challenging ourselves with older games over the years.

I’ve lost a lot of my enthusiasm for Pokemon recently. The Pokemon Company doesn’t seem to care much about what made the games great in the past, and their attempts at new ideas haven’t been very impressive. What’s even more frustrating is their focus on making as much money as possible, charging high prices for extra content and restricting features unless you pay more. When I see announcements for games like *Pokemon Legends: Z-A* and the next generation of mainline games, I just don’t feel excited anymore.

Why I Fell in Love With Pokémon in the First Place

I first fell in love with Pokemon because of the amazing sense of adventure and discovery each new region offered. While *Pokemon Crystal* remains my favorite, I have great memories of all the games. The series has grown with me over the years, and *Pokemon Black* and *Pokemon White* were particularly challenging and rewarding. I’ve bought every main Pokemon game since then, always excited to continue the adventure.

There’s something special about starting a new Pokémon game and picking your first Pokémon. Suddenly, you’re in a vibrant world with endless possibilities. You get to decide how to build your team and explore the region, shaping your experience however you like. Sometimes I prioritize creating a powerful, well-rounded team, and other times I challenge myself by using only one type of Pokémon – Bug types are my personal favorite!

What really drew me into the Pokémon series was how much it grew and changed with each new game. *Gold* and *Silver* were amazing because they added things like a real-time clock and day-night system, plus you got to revisit the Kanto region after finishing the main story. *Ruby* and *Sapphire* then brought in features like weather effects and Pokémon abilities. *Diamond* and *Pearl* marked the start of online play, and the games have kept getting better and more innovative ever since.

What truly set Pokémon apart wasn’t just how the game worked, but the feeling it gave you – a sense of curiosity, friendship, and adventure. Moments like finding a rare, shiny Pokémon or watching your Pokémon barely survive a battle were surprisingly emotional. Building a team and connecting with each Pokémon brought a unique joy and sense of wonder that I haven’t found in any other game.

Drifting From the Spirit of Pokémon

What makes the current situation with Pokémon so frustrating is the mix of emotions it stirs up. The series has always been good at appealing to a wide audience while still being creative, but recently, The Pokémon Company seems unwilling to change, even as they ask more and more from fans. Pokémon used to be a groundbreaking series, constantly innovating with each new game, pushing the boundaries of design and gameplay. Now, it feels like profits and corporate interests are the main priority.

The recently announced *Pokemon Legends: Z-A* highlights a concerning trend. Although the game’s base price is reasonable, the decision to reveal downloadable content (DLC) before the game even releases is disappointing. It creates the impression that this content was originally part of the main game and unfairly cut, potentially leaving players with an incomplete experience. Adding to this, the $30 price tag for the DLC is comparable to the cost of *both* DLC packs for *Pokemon Scarlet* and *Violet*.

Beyond feeling incomplete, the DLC also reuses ideas from *Pokemon Legends: Arceus* with the Mega Dimension being very similar to Space-Time Distortions. This raises questions about why features like this weren’t included in the original game. It’s also disappointing that Mega Evolutions for fan-favorite Pokemon such as Raichu, Greninja, Chesnaught, and Delphox are only available through the DLC or online battles. While a post-game quest to unlock them would have been great, requiring players to pay extra for Megas featuring Pokemon already in the game doesn’t really fit with what makes Pokemon special.

Even before *Pokemon Legends: Z-A*, the *Pokemon* series had begun to struggle. *Pokemon Scarlet* and *Violet* on the Nintendo Switch were plagued with issues – they ran poorly, were full of bugs, and the open world felt empty and didn’t add much to the experience. While the new Nintendo Switch 2 will make these games run better, it can’t fix the core problem of a world that feels vast but ultimately lifeless. The game features large, unattractive areas separating interesting locations, and many of those locations can’t even be interacted with. It seems The Pokemon Company overcorrected from the very straightforward worlds of *Pokemon Sword* and *Shield* without realizing that the lack of life in the Galar region was the actual issue.

Fans are still waiting for classic Pokémon games to become available on the Nintendo Switch. While the original Red, Blue, and Yellow versions, as well as Gold and Silver, were released on the 3DS Virtual Console, they haven’t made their way to the Switch. These games are incredibly popular, but currently, the only ways to play them are on older systems or by purchasing expensive, used cartridges. Given the available technology and the clear demand from players, it’s surprising these titles haven’t been re-released yet.

What It Would Take to Win Me Back

I’m genuinely disappointed with the direction Pokémon is taking. I used to be incredibly excited for every new release, and especially for *Pokémon Legends: Z-A*. But with each trailer, my enthusiasm has waned. Even the addition of new Mega Evolutions isn’t enough to recapture my interest, and this extends to the upcoming Generation 10 games. Honestly, I don’t feel invested in these titles at all, and I’m not sure if that will change. I’m hoping The Pokémon Company can make significant improvements to not only regain my support, but also restore the series to its former glory.

To revitalize the Pokemon series, the developers need to introduce truly innovative features. Recent additions, like Tera Raids and online play, have been plagued with problems, and new features need to be fully developed and reliable. If Pokemon moves towards an open-world format, the world needs to be genuinely engaging and worth exploring. *Pokemon Legends: Arceus* demonstrated the potential of trying new things, but even the Pokemon Company seems hesitant to fully commit, as seen with *Scarlet* and *Violet* simplifying the open-world experience, and *Pokemon Legends: Z-A* appearing to restrict players to a single city.

The Pokémon Company should also remember its history and loyal fans. With the technology available on Nintendo Switch and the upcoming Switch 2, it feels unfair to keep older games inaccessible. If they continue to do so, they should be more accepting of fans using emulation. Discouraging players from revisiting classic Pokémon games – or punishing them for doing so – isn’t a good strategy, and it might even prevent new players from discovering where the series began.

Players want DLC to be fairly priced and offer genuine value. While downloadable content isn’t the problem, recent Pokémon DLC has felt shallow and overpriced. The added areas and activities haven’t been substantial enough. Compared to older games like *Pokémon Crystal*, *Emerald*, and *Platinum* – which were essentially full games released as expansions – or the post-game content in Generation 2 like the Kanto region, current DLC falls short. The Pokémon Company has proven it can create compelling, expansive content, and should draw inspiration from its past successes when developing future DLC and games.

Pokemon games need to strike a better balance between being easy to pick up and offering a real challenge. While the games are designed for younger players, many longtime fans are adults who want more complex experiences. The constant tutorials can feel condescending to these experienced players and should be optional, particularly since the basic gameplay hasn’t evolved much. The games also generally lack difficulty, and players often have to create their own challenges to make things interesting. Adding difficulty settings or gameplay modifiers would be a great way to address this and make the games more engaging for all players.

Pokémon is incredibly resilient and consistently successful, seemingly immune to failure. Even attempts to control core gameplay through patents haven’t slowed it down. While some fans may be losing interest, Pokémon games will likely continue to be popular and engaging. I’m hoping for a future where Pokémon truly excels again, but I don’t believe the upcoming game, *Pokémon Legends: Z-A*, or even the next generation of games, will be the one to deliver that.

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2025-09-21 02:11