Scarlet and Violet wakeup call could slow down how quickly Pokémon games release

The Pokémon Company has recently opened up about the release schedule for their mega-franchise games, particularly about the possibility of slowing things down.

At the Pokémon World Championships this weekend in Yokohama, Japan, The Pokémon Company’s COO, Takato Utsunomiya, was among the hundreds in attendance. In an interview with ComicBook.com, Utsunomiya opened up about the discussions his company has been having about future game releases.

Utsunomiya pointed out previous Pokémon games have been released on a fairly consistent schedule, but there have been “more and more conversations” on how they can actually maintain that pace while still ensuring the quality is up to standard.

Although not explicitly stated, it certainly sounds as though these backroom conversations could be in response to the immense criticism Pokémon Scarlet and Violet faced immediately after its release back in November.

It’s no secret the Gen IX games were plagued with quality issues from the start, and fans are still encountering them months later, whether they’re Shiny hunting or taking on Tera Raids. If the company had allowed more time for the games to be developed, perhaps there wouldn’t have been as many glaring issues that continue to haunt its release.

Related: ‘Never playing again’: Pokémon World Championship plagued by disaster, incompetence

If Utsunomiya’s interview is suggesting the possibility of taking a little more time to build and then release future Pokémon titles, fans would be willing—considering one of the biggest criticisms of the Gen IX games was they felt rushed and incomplete.

We’re willing to wait a little longer if it means they’ll come back with something epic for the tenth generation of the franchise. But until then, we’ll have the upcoming The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero DLC to keep us busy.