Pokémon Legends: Z-A Sold 5.8 Million Copies Globally In Its First Week

That's down 700,000 from Arceus. Nothing to sneeze at but between the way longer gap between games and increased marketing I'm definitely sure they were hoping for much stronger.

violet and scarlet combined sold 10 million in it's first week on switch 1.violet accounted for 52% of those sales scarlet 42% and the rest was a doublepack...

@Lizuka considering there was about 105 million switch 1 consoles sold by the time arceus was released in jan 2022 compared to the number combined of switch 1 and switch 2 as of today arceus sales numbers are much more impressive then legends z-a.

See now these are impressive numbers, in comparison to “other” game’s sales numbers.

Too bad it’s a terrible game; really wish people would vote with their wallets and demand some accountability for GameFreak and make some better changes to the Pokémon game formula.

I don't understand the hatred for Pokemon ZA.

Like seriously. It's not the most graphically impressive game and lack of VAing makes some the cutscenes feel awkward. But gameplay wise like Arceus this is some of the most fun I've had with the series since HG/SS remakes.

The characters are some of the best in the series. Idc what anyone says. Sword/Shield, Scarlet/Violet and ZA have had some of the best characters in the games. Really wish they would add voice acting to make these characters feel even more alive.

It's a great game and I hope GF continues to improve the Legends games

Glad to see it's doing well!

@Lizuka It might not be selling as much right now, but it has a good chance later - considering it's available before the holidays and is part of a console bundle.

@liljmoore they sold us an alpha built.

@liljmoore Some people won't shut up until these games reach full visual parity with Nintendo's biggest games and get voice acting (not to mention those that won't let go of Dexit). I'm personally hoping they'll treat voice acting seriously, but it's far from being a deal breaker if it takes a while.

Some of the most fun I've had with a Pokemon game, loving my experience with it after 25 hours in.

@Lizuka If half of the sales are from the Switch 2 version, that's a massive overperformance considering Switch 2 is like 6.5% of Switch 1 sales. This likely means that either a ton of casual people perceive the game to be a Switch 2 exclusive or are waiting until they get a Switch 2 before they get this game.

@johnedwin If half of the sales are from the Switch 2 version, that's a massive overperformance considering Switch 2 is like 6.5% of Switch 1 sales. This likely means that either a ton of casual people perceive the game to be a Switch 2 exclusive or are waiting until they get a Switch 2 before they get this game.

@BrazillianCara yes some of us won't shut up because it is one of the most profitable franchises in history. You'd think they could provide a decent budget to afford to add in voice acting, fix bugs like falling through the floor, non flat textures or at least optimize it enough so draw distance and loading isn't a slog. You see indie studios doing more with less. any hope that was rekindled after Arceus was swiftly put out by Scarlet and Violet. I played it and sold it back and will stick with the older titles and rom hacks. My kids will play them as well.

I haven't picked up Z-A, and likely wont, given that I'm really just not a big fan of any of the Pokemon games at all. But I am happy to see it's doing well. From what I've heard, while it still has lots of glaring issues that really do need addressing, the game, at it's core, is good and fun, and I think that's what matters most. Proud of you, Z-A! Also it's CRAZY to me that half the sales are from Switch 2. I'm curious what the exact implications of that are.

For other games, this would be a smashing success. For Pokemon though, would this be seen as a failure?

Those are very impressive numbers Nintendo is still doing well with their Pokémon franchise 😊

Probably good news for all the shareholders. That must be a decent return on investment right there.
Couldn't be happier for them.

@Vyacheslav333 What is wrong with people enjoying a game?

@Elektrogeist1287 Did you play it?

@MegaMari0 If indie games do more with less, why does the Pokémon company have to spend more to do the same?

@OmnitronVariant

Obviously.

Played it for 4 hours.

Wasn’t impressed at all.

I’m really enjoying the game. Clearly I’m part of the problem.

@Elektrogeist1287 I play mostly indie games, including Palworld if you consider that indie. There’s not a single indie game even remotely like this game in gameplay systems or world building, nor in terms of cohesive art style and overall design. I love indies but let’s not kid ourselves. Do you have any concrete examples I might’ve overlooked?

@Zoda_Fett That’s fair then. Many people that comment negatively haven’t so I felt like doing a spot check. Personally I was not convinced before I tried it, and 30+ hours in I’ve really enjoyed the game so far

I am sure, that they can top the sales of Arceus someday. The internet tells me that Z-A only had to sell around 200 000 copies, to be profitable. In the meantime I will just continue to enjoy this fun game.

Those are some impressive sales and don't forget most people will wait until they get a Switch 2 to play the better version. Also christmas is around the corner so a lot will be waiting to get it as a present for their kids etc, whereas Arceus launched after Christmas with no future console in sight so people had less reason to wait.

@Zoda_Fett None of these games are anything like Pokémon Z-A..? Not in gameplay, not in general concept even, nor in production value. I've played most of them. It's like comparing Super Mario Bros to Dragon Quest and complaining either doesn't have what the other has.

@johnedwin You cannot compare from back then.

We were going through something called COVID and lockdowns back then, so gaming sales were out of the ordinary, as people were stuck at home. So game sales across the board were much higher than normal.

Today is totally different. Game sales have tanked worldwide due to current economic situation with high interest rates on mortgages, mass lay-offs in gaming industry and other areas. Game prices have gone up by 10-20 USD/Euro. Etc.

Then we have a console generation switch, going from Switch 1 to Switch 2.

If you just look at the sales figures, then they are impressive in today's market.
It's also not surprising that the Switch 1 version outsold the Switch 2 version, since the Switch 2 is new and is vastly outnumbered by Switch 1 users.

This also makes me worried that next year's new mainline Pokemon games will be mainly developed for the Switch 1 again (Like Legends Z-A) and the Switch 2 version will just be an afterthought again with just a resolution and fps bump.

It's a bit of Catch22 situation, as Nintendo probably still thinks they don't want to alienate that huge Switch 1 base out there, but on the other hand they really need to start selling way more Switch 2 consoles and then you really need to keep releasing great games that show the capabilities of the Switch 2.
Legends:Z-A was definitely not that! It's a good game and I immensely enjoy it on my Switch 2, but I am not blind to see they could have done way more for the Switch 2 version.

But again, I wouldn't pass it by Nintendo being still stuck in ancient thinking in that they don't want to alienate Switch 1 base by making the Switch 1 version look too inferior to the Switch 2 version. /shrug

The gameplay is fun and once the mega evo unlocks it is quite catchy. But I literally hate Lumiose since the original game. On the other hand, ORAS is one of my most beloved Pokemon games ever.
I am glad that next games will be Switch2 only, and I am curious about that situation.

I hate how only some companies disclose their sales figures. TPC just gave the number right out meanwhile I have to resort to a third party to tell me Sony's big new game is selling "great".
I mean, I know why they do it, I just think it's annoying.

People do understand Gamefreak have to rush these games out to feed the Pokémon TCG and TV shows with content. It's no coincidence the latest game is based on Mega Evolutions, the latest card set is Mega Evolution, and the next Anime episodes are based on Mega Evolutions. Pokémon is a multi media franchise that has to keep up with each other.

It's a shame though really as if the games could break away from that chain and actually have a bigger budget and longer development time then these games could be something special.

Leaving them with no reason to up budgets and ambitions. Fantastic.

We're never ever getting a good pokemon game again bruh

Hopefully it will sell better over time, because this game is way more fun than any recent Pokémon game. And a lot more fun than Arceus in my book.

Boo, how dare this game make money. How dare people enjoy it, do people not know they are being scammed with Pokeslop!!!!! Pokemon needs GTA 6 graphics even then I probably won't play it but complaining about Pokémon on the Internet is the new cool thing!

Am I doing this right?

All serous that's great numbers, it's a fantastic game!!!

@Zoda_Fett No, I explicitly wrote:

> There’s not a single indie game even remotely **like this game in gameplay systems or world building**, nor in terms of cohesive art style and overall design. I love indies but let’s not kid ourselves. Do you have any concrete examples I might’ve overlooked?

I wasn't talking about games in general. That's comparing apples to oranges. But where did your comment go that listed them?

Great numbers. The battles is where this game shines. Pokemon will never be a graphical masterpiece. The thing they do need to change is make the city more alive. Let the people walk around instead of standing in random places like a statue. Gamefreak is stuck in the past with this. I think that would make a great difference. It will improve the feel and look if the game completely. The world feels empty and lifeless now.

Wow, they only needed 300k copies to break even, lol

@1UP-HUSKY The further you get in the story, the more populated the city becomes. During daytime there's people moving about almost everywhere.

@johnedwin That's not how it works. That's not how any of this works. There are far more factors at play. Time release, the general consumer economy, how Switch 2 install base, the age of the OG Switch...

@JohnnyMind Given Legends: Arceus released during peak covid lockdowns, I'd say it's really impressive this game is so close, when game sales in general are way down compared to the covid years.

@Elektrogeist1287 I've blocked people with the "how dare you buy the game because it doesn't meet MY standards" mentality too. Hate on the game, fine, but hating on people who are enjoying it is gross. It's like because they're miserable about the state of Pokémon they want everyone else to be as miserable as they are.

Plus most of the time they're just raging about the graphics and not even the gameplay. They assume people have low standards when it's more like a lot of people genuinely don't care about the textures of the balconies etc or even notice these things as they're having too much fun - which is the whole point of videogames BTW

I really enjoy this game. A solid 8/10 from me so far.

@1UP-HUSKY This is the first Pokemon game that actually offers a lot of side content. There are like 150 side missions, which explains why there are so many static NPC's in the city.
They are and/or will be mission givers at some point in the game.

Like I said in another thread. People struggle interacting with moving NPCs, that's why mission NPC's are often static.
You see this (and continue to see this) in all RPG games.

You actually see quite a few people moving around in Lumiose City and those are non-interactable NPC's.

Yes they could definitely have added even more moving NPC's, but I think its simply the Switch 1 holding them back at this point, which is annoying for us with a Switch 2 that just expect more out of the Switch 2 version.
But it is what it is, when Gamefreak has to operate with a small budget and only get max. 2 year development time per game.
And this is never going to change, as the games and Anime are just there to support the TCG and physical merchandise, which makes them way more money.

@Jeronan it's a shame they don't get extra time for this. Would be really exciting to see people and pokemon walking around alot more like in the series. Hopefully in the future we will get this, as they should aim higher being the big franchise with the most potential. But then again Pokemon is aimed at small children, who most likely don't get care about that. My kids play Roblox all the time, Wich looks a 1000 times worse 😄

@liljmoore "But gameplay wise like Arceus this is some of the most fun I've had with the series since HG/SS remakes.

The characters are some of the best in the series."

Therein lies the rub: "... with/in the series ..." Not sure why Pokemon gets a free pass compared to most/all other franchises out there, as most of them most stand up to other videogames, not just to their predecessors.

By industry standards, in about every way conceiveable Z-A looks to be at least 20 years behind the times. The visual and the lack of VA just being the most kind of in-your-face shortcomings. Personally, I feel like comparing something like Arkham City from 15 years ago with Lumiose City would lead one to the conclusiob that Batman is the bigger franchise by quite a colossal margin (given the obvious investment). The facts are the opposite though.

Hundreds of comparisons like this could and should be drawn, but most don't, well, because "it is Pokemon and for Pokemon standarts this is quite good".

I agree on Arceus though, that was a decent game, held back by it's technical limitations (even comparetd to other Switch 1 games) and it's lacklustre combat as well as it utter and complete lack of challenge as far as combat went, certainly with any "fight" involved with the story. In fact, theat part stood out to me because I felt the game expected to actually die at some point, given the whole online system and charms and such. But unless this was your first videogame, the chances of actually running into a failure state were beyond slim. Anyways, I liked the exploration, the way catching worked, it was a decent gameplay loop with a high level of internal consistency (like wild Pokemon ganging up on you in the turn-based combat, being able to run away from a fight by ... running actually away in the gameworld, even within that fight, the balls have a ballistic curve and different attributes like weight and so on and so forth.)

Arceus was not so much a great Pokemon game, as it was an allaround good videogame on the Switch 1 with it severly limited hardware.

From what I can tell, they took steps back in about every conceiveable category from Arceus to Z-A. I find that truly astonishing to be honest. Maybe the combat is an improvement? From what I've seen though it was a half-measure at best.

In other words: Arceus as a videogame in the 2020s set low but existing bars for the franchise and afaik Z-A didn't cross any of them. That is just inaccepatble to me for a $70 sequel years later.

@Elektrogeist1287 I’m loving the game

Given some of the comments regarding us folks who want better quality... it's almost like y'all are arguing against higher quality, at a premium price tag.

Have at it, I suppose. You'll definitely get more of the same for decades to come.

Love how people complain about the game lacking quality and price skyrocketed but then everyone just buy it....

Good numbers for a great game with weird discourse.

@1UP-HUSKY Yes same here. They play roblox 90% of the time.

Good to see pokemon za do well. Also did you know amazon uk selling Mario kart world bundle for £409.

Really enjoying this game. The tutorial and hand holding was annoying

@Lizuka Arceus released shortly after Covid. So that increased gaming spending was still high. Much harder to justify game spending for a lot people right now. But considering the higher cost of ZA on Switch 2, they’ll probably see more profit ZA than they did with Arceus even if the sale end up lower.

If they want to make up for the sales gap between Z-A and Arceus they could re-release the classic Gen 1-3 Pokemon games for purchase but for some odd reason they don’t do it.

@liljmoore dude or lady.
All the buildings have around 5 variations of windows.
Like someone used the sims building system and crtl-c-v the building models.

@Lizuka they probably spent even less money on this game than on Arceus so it should all work out in the end for them. Can’t imagine they’re super motivated to improve the games after this

Sounds like they will spend even less money on the next game. Wind and wave will cost them 5 million to make lol

@Elektrogeist1287 @Filthy Jesus, the game isn't that bad.

Yeah the balconies are flat textures and the NPCs don't move. Do you realize how freaking tiny those nitpicks are in the grand scheme? Don't you hear how ridiculous it is to say that people shouldn't buy the game because of them? Just let people enjoy what they like and try to find something to like for yourself.

Some folks choose odd things to feel superior about.

It's a game about collecting fake monsters and fighting with them. It's not that important or that serious.

If you're that riled up about fake people not moving enough and a digital picture not being high quality enough, go play something else. Not everything needs to be a rallying cry to take on some grand cause.

It's just a game. Go have fun doing something else. You'll live longer and be happier.

This game is solid. I just don’t understand how GameFreak seems to half-finish all their Pokemon games in the last decade.

The visuals definitely can do a lot more. Pokémon Snap (Bandi Namco) still looks better. We need more active NPCs. Take a page from Monolith/Xenoblade/BOTW/TOTK. Can’t we make them do something? I am not even asking for moving cars or traffic lights yet.

Look at Beast of Reincarnation. Obviously GameFreak can do better or contracts others to do better. We can’t blame Pokemon entirely either. Pokemon have been turned into claymation, or CGI movies to better looking spin-offs. So Pokemon doesn’t need to only adhere to that bland aesthetic only. I just don’t understand why the main or main-adjacent Pokemon games from GameFreak all look like some washed out lifeless anime.

And please stop using the same ONE pokemon movement animation for all their games. It’s weird when you have a group of pokemons and they can only move in sync no matter what.

Welp it's official guys... TPC will be pulling the plug on the Legends series games due to this bomb of a launch.

We can now all expect SV quality games from here on out! Good job everyone!

JK... This game is definitely going to have much longer legs than Arceus did due to the upcoming Holiday season and the DLC launching next year.

@Elektrogeist1287 If only GameFreak listened to their fans and made the Legends series which has become synonymous with changing up the formula.

But alas, we live in an alternate timeline where the Legends game don't exist... stupid Mandela effect.

@Elektrogeist1287 except it's not a terrible game. It's just not the jewel.encrusted treasure you demand it be just because it's Pokemon.

The actual review is state that while the game isn't as exploration focused as Arceus, the combat is amoung the series best so far.

People calling it bad just basically wanted Arceus 2.

I’m going to offer a crazy idea here, but is it possible some people like Pokemon games the way they are? Insane, I know. But I think the casual audiences who aren’t super engaged online enjoy the pokemon formula as it is, and things like detailed balconies don’t really matter to them.

@Vyacheslav333 I think Pokémon fans know very well what they're getting and getting into when they purchase and/or play a mainline Pokémon game.

And its fine if you or folks don't like the games or have issue with the quality of the games. I am not in the business of trying to convince anyone otherwise on how they feel.

What I don't understand is why others get so pressed and in their feelings when folks are enjoying something they don't.

@liljmoore I'll explain the hatred, it's pretty simple. This game cost $70 and the graphics are akin to upscaled Wii Graphics and there's no VA. If this was $50 or less it might make sense. If this was done by a team of 10-20 it might make sense. But this is one of the largest franchises in the world and cost the same as games with modern graphics, and VA. Even if it's a good game, it's not a great game and the price doesn't seem to represent the perceived effort or time put into it.

@BrazillianCara and those people need to get into their heads that this ain't a Nintendo game. It's a Game Freak game.

@Dee123 Are we sure though?? I mean, what quality games has Nintendo put out lately?

MKW, Bananza, Kirby Air Riders, Pikmin, Odyssey, TotK, BotW, SM Wonder, Animal Crossing, Xenoblade, Bayonetta, Fire Emblem, SSB Ultimate, Paper Mario, Princess Peach, and Luigi's Mansion all don't count.

@contractcooker I got it too and look forward to playing it. But... Where I am I was able to pre-order it for €35, SW1. If it was more than 45 I think I would have skipped it personally. I'm sure it's a good game, but I can easily understand why people are hating. I mean just look at Digimon's cutscenes verses Pokemon.

i hate that people won't hold them to a higher standard lol. I mean it's still fun i'm sure, it just irks me the low effort style they do

@arnoldlayne83 It cause the people who was complaining wasn't the ones who gonna buy the game in the first place even if it was 10/10 visual masterclass in the game development and marketing.

@cylemmulo Games can have low effort and still be fun. It's subjective. Who says a big company like Pokemon can't do indie level quality? We ALL know the haters would do a 180 and praise the title if this was done by an indie dev.

@Cheez Then don't buy it. The majority of gamers will buy the game cause they want it and can afford it. They also understand that Video Gaming is a luxury. It's going to be pricey, whether you like it or not. If you can't afford it, then you in the wrong hobby.

@MamaSymphonia As I said, if people are fine to pay full price for this, have at it. That was literally what I said.

@graviton "Look at Beast of Reincarnation"

That game is being made on UE5. I think Pokemon Snap was also made on UE. It take very low effort to make a good looking game in UE... But that also why Beast of Reincarnation performance looks so bad.

The mainline Pokemon games which is probably made on an internal inhouse engine which is probably the limiting factor in a lot of the low visual quality we seen with the pokemon games. It take a lot of time, money, and energy to get a game engine up to par, and keep it up to par.

Modern Pokémon games are effectively 3D versions of Gameboy games, rather than being designed like a modern game. Not necessarily a bad thing, but it would be interesting if Game Freak threw out the rulebook entirely and actually made them like a modern game.

Maybe they would lose their charm?

@Cheez Certain games go hard stylistically for cut scenes. If I'm being fair, why would a Pokemon game go hard for cut scenes if even the Anime doesn't? Digimon has always gone harder than Pokemon. That's kind of its schtick.

The Switch 2 version was almost half of the sales, so that allows people want the Switch 2 version.

Safe to say this was another Pokemon success if 200k was the break even point lol

Hey guys I’m having pasta for dinner. Do you mind if I dump your comments into the pasta water?

@MamaSymphonia it’s really bad, fella. I was bored with my time with it and it just feels really low effort.

@kal_el_07241 It's not just that digimon goes hard. Some of these animations are comparable to Pokemon Stadium. Which was great back in 1999.

I really didn't anticipate hating this game, but the awkward mechanics (Roto-Glide, anyone?), the rabbit warren "exploration," and the unskippable blathering conversations really make it difficult to have "fun" playing this game, for me.

It's really sad, because Kalos was SUCH an engaging region that GameFreak really COULD have developed using the Arceus setup, exploring the region's distant past.

Instead, we get to run around a largely bland city with look-alike buildings, bland NPCs, and microscopic "Wild Zones."

I get that a lot of people like it. I just wish that I did. Swing and a miss, for me.

@mjhopkins81 You have to really like Pokemon I think. Like, the monster characters themselves. Cause they're what my brain likes, basically no matter the quality of the game that surrounds them lol

The split is crazy, considering how many Switch 1s are out there vs. Switch 2s.

@Shade_Koopa Yeah I mean low effort is subjective. Pokemon is the largest, so they get less leeway. Most indie devs put in more effort and love

@AverageGamer Thanks, I didn’t know about the different engines used on the game. But if you look at S/V, no matter how bad it launched, it does show light pokemon textures. In ZA, you get the smooth texture as in Pokemon GO, meaning the same stock models and movements as all Pokemon games.

Pokemon has either completely disrupted the space-time continuum or people just love repeating the gospel of grifters everywhere now about this franchise.

Legends ZA, by anyone who has played it and loves Pokemon, finds it to be an objectively good game. If you want to offer up some realistic constructive criticisms, then please do that. Calling fans idiots or pigs eating from a "trough" is so far off base it's insulting to us as a civilized society.

The Legends games explicitly exists because of fan backlash/critiques/desires. Yet, there are people ripping on it for clearly not healing their black hearts like so many other games are known for apparently. This game isn't on the level of SV, it is superior in damn near every way to Arceus. Hopefully one day you will be able to enjoy something and be passionate about without unnecessary hatred thrown your way. Because we all deserve happiness and joy. That is ultimately what this franchise has always been about.

Now if you'll excuse me, my Totodile and I have a few hundred thousand battles to win.

@AverageGamer not to mention Joe Merrick has pointed out how heavily that game is being sourced out to other companies for various assets, designs and mechanics of the game. GameFreak is virtually just a publisher in that case.

@Jeff2sayshi I think everyone is waiting to get a Switch 2 before getting the game there instead of Switch 1 knowing how bad SV was technically.

@kal_el_07241 I don’t know who Joe Merrick is so I can’t speak on that 🤷

@graviton I think game freak is running into issues where the different art styles, lighting… etc is affecting there appearance of certain Pokémon especially shiny Pokémon. So ZA has spent a bit of time fixing that.

Bought it on release day. I'm really enjoying it. The gameplay is superb, the graphics are functional in the environment but the Pokémon and characters are well done. It runs well on my Switch 1 as well. It's a fun, switch off from life bit of escapism, which at the end of the day, what a Pokémon game should be.
The arguing and name calling online with people supporting or dissing this game has been ridiculous. Adults swearing at one another online about a game in posts that kids can read should be embarrassed at their immature behaviours.

It is absolutely wild that so many people think windows being textures rather than models is vastly more important in terms of a game's quality than the actual gameplay.

@LightSpirit I don’t know Serebii is either. 🤷

I’m not a chronically online person.

I had a lovely time with it, it’s a good game. It definitely could and probably should be better, there are definitely areas that aren’t befitting of such a big franchise, but really, it’s still been a blast to play.
If they could get their act together and pull out all the stops for once, they’d probably have a shot at game of the year on their hands. Right now, not a chance. Still, pretty good

@Lizuka I get the feeling that the difference can be easily attributed to when in the year the games released. Arceus was in February, whereas Z-A is in October. The holiday shopping season is right around the corner (if you don't count Amazon Prime Day and stuff like that) for Z-A, so it's easier to put it off a couple weeks to be part of the holiday shopping list unlike Arceus' 8-9 months.

@MamaSymphonia Oh, I LOVE the catching and collecting part. Arceus made catching Pokemon truly exciting, for the first time in a decade or more, when it was released.

This game makes the whole thing a slog.

I disagree, there were far better looking games that came out on the switch even on the first year of the console. Monster Hunter Stories 2, which came the year before made Arceus look like a venmu version of it.
Legends Arceus was just obviously rushed (unfortunately like most pokemon games on the switch). Then again Gamefreak was never known to be good at optimization either.

I bought the game for Switch 2 with zero expectations, and I'm honestly having a lot of fun with it. The beginning was a little slow, but it definitely picks up.

Considering how the economy is right now with people not spending their money as frivolous as they would have before, I think the sales are pretty good.

@hYdeks The slow beginning is definitely a bummer. Like you said though, it ramps up, and there's quite a bit of variety in the wild and battle zones. I'm having fun.

@Elektrogeist1287
It's a really fun game, at least for me.

I take it the internet wants me to feel different, but yea, it's a good time.

Honestly not a bad game but im kinda glad it didnt do as well as arceus. We need better Gamefreak. Especially for the price tag

@rallydefault all I’m saying is that it could be so much better. GameFreak has been coasting on autopilot for years and they should be willing to shake things up more. Whey they have currently is not great at all.

@Elektrogeist1287
I don't see how the shakeup in gameplay they introduced with Arceus and now continued in ZA is "autopilot." There are franchises that have essentially never changed their gameplay that don't get nearly as much hate.

People just like to use the graphics complaints (which are valid) as a broad brush for... well, pretty much everything.

It’s wild that it is kinda controversial to say Pokémon should be up to the same standard of quality as other Nintendo bigger franchises on the exact same console …

Kudos for most people being content with
" Just Good Enough" from the most lucrative media franchise in history.

@UpsideDownRowlet I think they should mind their own business lol. Its up to the players who play the game to provide feedback on what's good or bad to the developers.

Not some random who watched some YouTube videos and didnt play the game.

@johnedwin also Arceus came out during COVID. There was a massive game buying bump during that time because people were looking for things to do during lockdown. Still 5 million in a week are insane numbers and this game will probably be a Switch 1/2 best seller within the year.

I mean when have mainline Pokemon games ever been the best looking games on their respective systems? Ruby and Sapphire don't look nearly as impressive as Golden Sun. Diamond and Pearl were not nearly as technically impressive as Dragon Quest Monster Joker or other 3D RPGs on the system. X&Y and Sun and Moon were not nearly as impressive as Yoki Watch, Monster Hunter games or Resident Evil Revelations... I mean Pokemon has always coasted on looks good enough.

The franchise has never strived to be graphical marvels. It be nice to have better graphics, but people have never played Pokemon for the graphics.

@Wexter The franchise has never strived to be graphical marvels. It be nice to have better graphics, but people have never played Pokemon for the graphics.

This is alot for those Hatin on Pokémon already forgot. By making more noise they invite more people to buy and enjoy the game. This all works to GF bottom line it's like Book Banning the more they hatin' on books the more people buy the book. Common sense would tell them the more news you make of it the more people want it. And like i mentioned this is first and foremost it's a Kids Game what about this do they not get and will never get.

@AverageGamer I can see how different lighting of textures can affect the Pokémons’ detail. But we have to admit ALL the Pokémons are copied and pasted with the same 3D models and animation movements… in sync all the time. They are all copied and pasted.

@Jarodlaraus Yeah I think when someone points to Pokemon (or any game) and goes "Hey Look at this! I think it sucks!".

If the game is appealing and doesn't actually suck it might as well be a free advertisement.

@Wexter came out late jan 2022 we had a covid vaccine by november 2020...

@johnedwin lockdowns didn't really end till the end of 2022 to maybe May 2023. Just cause there were vaccines did not mean lockdowns ended. Return to Office orders only really became a thing starting in late 2022-2023. I'd say we only really got back to normal in late-2023 when people stopped socially distancing all together. So yeah Legends Arceus was a tail-end of the COVID game buying spike.

As a casual player, and based on early impressions of playing the game - I am really enjoying it. What a beautiful opening scene and a nice setting with a modern city feel. Still getting used to the real time gameplay mechanics. Since Pokémon is traditionally turn based. Overall a fresh presentation to the series. The character models and the experience are all great in my personal opinion. Also can see how they are trying to make the people more expressive like in Donkey Kong Bonanza and the movies. Surprisingly runs amazingly well on Switch 1 btw. Certainly feels a lot more closer to an anime, where the vision of expressing the game of Pokémon, becomes more closer to a show.

@link12684 It's a 60/70 bucks low effort cash grab. Graphics wise, it's a Nintendo GameCube game. And even then, Nintendo GameCube/Dreamcast/PS2/XBOX Original games featured(!) fully-voiced dialogues.
What is GameFreak's excuse, huh?
Why Pokémon games are objectively worse than indie games and AA/AAA games? Why it costs 60/70 bucks?!

@UmbreonsPapa People can enjoy something like Postal 3 and FlatOut 3, but it doesn't make them good/any better.

@Vyacheslav333 Go back to a GameCube game and come back. You're a liar if you think the game is lookin like a 2000's game

@Jeronan From leaks we know next year's games are Switch 2 exclusive.

@UltimateOtaku91 actually development time has been increased. This game was delayed a whole year and the same is true for next year's games which were planned for this year but delayed until late 2026.