SwSh The National Pokedex removal thing had happened a generation prior, but no one seemed to complain.

[Silktree]

Maybe in America, but here in the UK, XY wasn’t advertised with the 2DS at all - ORAS was.
You could buy a 3DS bundle with XY, but the Pokémon 2DS bundle was ORAS, not XY.
Again...here in the UK, this is - perhaps it was different in America.

Okay, but here's proof that I am not making it up for the US:

"It's no coincidence that the 2DS is coming out at the same time as 'Pokémon X & Y,'" Lewis Ward, a game industry analyst at market research firm IDC, told NBC News. While Pokémon is already an iconic and beloved franchise, "X & Y" represents an important step forward for its series of core role-playing games: it's the first one to be rendered with full three-dimensional graphics.

The quote is a bit ironic because the 2DS is a regression from 3D, but then XY weren't designed with the actual 3D effect in mind.

Even Europe got the X/Y+2DS bundle.

 

[El_]

Yeah I don't get it. SM didn't let you transfer Pokemon not in the Aloladex, had to wait for USUM for that, and no one complained. But apparently now its a big deal ¯\(ツ)/¯

Imagine if those Pokemon were forever stuck within Pokemon Bank, with no guarantee to bring them back in the future because they are not programmed in the game's coding at all. I'd imagine the backlash happening now would have happened much sooner.

In any case, this is all made worse by Game Freak claiming that this is because of dedicating resources to the game's "quality," but I've yet to see where this so called quality in animation actually is. Dynamax sure as hell ain't it, nor are the battle animations, Pokemon animations, or over-world graphics. Point is, it's very hard to justify the policy Game Freak is taking, other than the hard truth that it's happening because these games needed more time in development.

 

[Kallyle]

Imagine if those Pokemon were forever stuck within Pokemon Bank, with no guarantee to bring them back in the future because they are not programmed in the game's coding at all. I'd imagine the backlash happening now would have happened much sooner.

In any case, this is all made worse by Game Freak claiming that this is because of dedicating resources to the game's "quality," but I've yet to see where this so called quality in animation actually is. Dynamax sure as hell ain't it, nor are the battle animations, Pokemon animations, or over-world graphics. Point is, it's very hard to justify the policy Game Freak is taking, other than the hard truth that it's happening because these games needed more time in development.

Or because all the effort is going into Project Gear.

 

[Oriden]

Or because all the effort is going into Project Gear.

I gotta say that it's not because Project Gear is a program in the company that lets developers pitch ideas and develop them. It's supported by the profit made by Pokémon and is by no means the company's #1 priority.

I think people are feeling unnecessarily threatened by Project Gear and they really shouldn't be.

 

[Pax Unda]

I gotta say that it's not because Project Gear is a program in the company that lets developers pitch ideas and develop them. It's supported by the profit made by Pokémon and is by no means the company's #1 priority.

I think people are feeling unnecessarily threatened by Project Gear and they really shouldn't be.

Yeah, I've seen people even saying that they'll boycott Town as well, and I'm not so sure I agree with that. Part of the reason Pokemon is in its current situation is because GF clearly views it as only an obligation now, but diversifying their portfolio and letting staff work on Project Gear can help get their spark for the series back. A boycott of Town would just tell them that they should only work on Pokemon, which would only lead to further stagnation imo. Besides, I think Town looks decent so far and I'd rather reward their passions than punish them.

 

[Kallyle]

I gotta say that it's not because Project Gear is a program in the company that lets developers pitch ideas and develop them. It's supported by the profit made by Pokémon and is by no means the company's #1 priority.

I think people are feeling unnecessarily threatened by Project Gear and they really shouldn't be.

The funny thing is that I’m not against Project Gear at all. I just think Game Freak needs to focus on one game at a time, either SwSh or Town, and halt development on the game. Since Game Freak is in a spot where they can’t really delay SwSh due to having to line up with things like the TCG and Anime, then they should focus their efforts on Town after
SwSh gets released. At their relatively small staff size, they really shouldn’t be spreading themselves so thin.

What I’m trying to say is that Game Freak needs to manage their time and resources a lot more than they currently are. It seems clear that the new policy regarding not having all Pokémon in one game came about now due to not managing their time and resources. I don’t want Game Freak to discard Project Gear; all I’m asking is that they alternate between that and Pokémon rather than simultaneous development. Even if we never get all Pokémon in one game again, the current way they’re doing things seems to be causing one game’s quality to be sacrificed at the expense of the other game. A small studio like Game Freak can’t keep up with simultaneous development for too much longer, so they need a wake up call before it’s too late!

 

[Knightwolf09]

Isn't there a problem with that though? The team barely has any breaks when it comes to pokemon. The moment one game is done they start working on the next. Leaving no other time to actually work on other games. And as an artist I can kinda understand how it feels to be kinda tired of doing the same thing over and over. Hence why it's good that they actually want to expand horizons. But as stated pokemon is always being worked on with little to no breaks in between, so no other choice but to split teams.

 

[Oriden]

The funny thing is that I’m not against Project Gear at all. I just think Game Freak needs to focus on one game at a time, either SwSh or Town, and halt development on the game. Since Game Freak is in a spot where they can’t really delay SwSh due to having to line up with things like the TCG and Anime, then they should focus their efforts on Town after
SwSh gets released. At their relatively small staff size, they really shouldn’t be spreading themselves so thin.

What I’m trying to say is that Game Freak needs to manage their time and resources a lot more than they currently are. It seems clear that the new policy regarding not having all Pokémon in one game came about now due to not managing their time and resources. I don’t want Game Freak to discard Project Gear; all I’m asking is that they alternate between that and Pokémon rather than simultaneous development. Even if we never get all Pokémon in one game again, the current way they’re doing things seems to be causing one game’s quality to be sacrificed at the expense of the other game. A small studio like Game Freak can’t keep up with simultaneous development for too much longer, so they need a wake up call before it’s too late!

Simultaneous development means that they can keep pokemon in constant production while giving their developers a chance to recharge their creative juices. Think of Project Gear as a rec room where some staff go to have fun while they take a break so they don't get burnt out working on Pokémon. It's really not taking away from Pokémon, it's just giving a group a break from it. This allows them to keep up production while alternating people out so they don't get sick of the franchise.

 

[Knightwolf09]

Also, think of it like this, when Team A is done with Town, unless there are other projects they want to work on, they would then have the time to work on the next pokemon games while Team B does their own independent project as well

 

[Kallyle]

Simultaneous development means that they can keep pokemon in constant production while giving their developers a chance to recharge their creative juices. Think of Project Gear as a rec room where some staff go to have fun while they take a break so they don't get burnt out working on Pokémon. It's really not taking away from Pokémon, it's just giving a group a break from it. This allows them to keep up production while alternating people out so they don't get sick of the franchise.

I'll admit that things make a bit more sense when put that way. Still, with the small number of employees and the constant production on Pokémon, this model seems to be leading towards one game ending up higher quality while the other game suffers. This could change in the future, but it doesn't seem to be helping them on balancing game quality with their projects thus far. I understand they need a break from Pokémon, which is why I feel they should all take a break after SwSh gets released to work some more on Project Gear. The issue is that simultaneous development at a small-size studio isn't really sustainable, so I only see one or two options if they want all of their games to be of good quality:

1. Expand the company despite their preference for a tight-knit group, making simultaneous development more feasible.
2. Stop simultaneous development, and alternate between Pokémon and Project Gear so that the whole company doesn't suffer Pokémon fatigue instead of constantly shifting developers across projects whenever they get burnt out on one game idea.

I fully support the idea behind Project Gear, especially the way you put it. All I'm saying is that the "simultaneous development + constant Pokémon production" model seems to be something Game Freak is struggling with. I just want them to be able to handle things rather than putting on so much pressure to the point where they collapse.

 

[Oriden]

I'll admit that things make a bit more sense when put that way. Still, with the small number of employees and the constant production on Pokémon, this model seems to be leading towards one game ending up higher quality while the other game suffers. This could change in the future, but it doesn't seem to be helping them on balancing game quality with their projects thus far. I understand they need a break from Pokémon, which is why I feel they should all take a break after SwSh gets released to work some more on Project Gear. The issue is that simultaneous development at a small-size studio isn't really sustainable, so I only see one or two options if they want all of their games to be of good quality:

1. Expand the company despite their preference for a tight-knit group, making simultaneous development more feasible.
2. Stop simultaneous development, and alternate between Pokémon and Project Gear so that the whole company doesn't suffer Pokémon fatigue instead of constantly shifting developers across projects whenever they get burnt out on one game idea.

I fully support the idea behind Project Gear, especially the way you put it. All I'm saying is that the "simultaneous development + constant Pokémon production" model seems to be something Game Freak is struggling with. I just want them to be able to handle things rather than putting on so much pressure to the point where they collapse.

You also have to remember that Town's scale is a lot smaller than SwSh, taking place in just one town, so they are able to focus more on details. It's also more open to creative design.

They're not suffering from having both projects running at once, one just appears better due to its smaller scale.

 

[Kallyle]

You also have to remember that Town's scale is a lot smaller than SwSh, taking place in just one town, so they are able to focus more on details. It's also more open to creative design.

They're not suffering from having both projects running at once, one just appears better due to its smaller scale.

Huh, good point.

 

[El_]

Or because all the effort is going into Project Gear.

While I agree with others that this really shouldn't affect the quality due to how Gear itself is being developed, I still wish they would have waited: ie, develop the side projects first. Developing something like Town as well as a few other minor projects would have given the developers a small breather from Pokemon, while simultaneously helping them better program a more prestigious project later on.

Something to build off of, especially since it's open source to GF developers as @Oriden said, that could have opened the main series to more unique and better ideas by using Gear as a testing ground. Maybe it will pay off after the initial Switch games.

 

[Blockhead Pippi]

I think people are feeling unnecessarily threatened by Project Gear and they really shouldn't be.

This. Project Gear is honestly one of the best things that Game Freak has done in a long time and I argue they should have done it years ago. They seriously need to develop other projects because they cannot live off of Pokemon forever. And especially now when Pokemon is under heavy scrutiny. If Game Freak were to somehow lose Pokemon, they would be dead.

 

[Silktree]

This. Project Gear is honestly one of the best things that Game Freak has done in a long time and I argue they should have done it years ago.

It started 7 years ago with HarmoKnight. Town may look more impressive, but it's still an eShop title.

 

[Blockhead Pippi]

It started 7 years ago with HarmoKnight. Town may look more impressive, but it's still an eShop title.

Okay, and?

It's still better than solely sticking to Pokemon.

 

[Silktree]

Okay, and?

Just saying that it did start years ago and you may have overlooked it because of the smaller scope.

 

[Blockhead Pippi]

Well yeah, admittedly I did. I have only just recently heard of Project Gear by name. But I am aware that they've been working on smaller projects years ago.

And besides, by years ago, I'm talking they really should have done this alongside Pokemon for much longer. When Pokemon took off, they focused almost exclusively on that with only the rare, 'other' project in-between.

I think this screenshot from wikipedia explains it well. And it's honestly sad to see.

 

[Knightwolf09]

Well yeah, admittedly I did. I have only just recently heard of Project Gear by name. But I am aware that they've been working on smaller projects years ago.

And besides, by years ago, I'm talking they really should have done this alongside Pokemon for much longer. When Pokemon took off, they focused almost exclusively on that with only the rare, 'other' project in-between.

I think this screenshot from wikipedia explains it well. And it's honestly sad to see.

It's sad that they do stuff other than pokemon?

 

[prog rocker]

It's sad that they do stuff other than pokemon?

I think it's the opposite. He/She is actually happy to see other things that are not Pokémon from GF. I just hope that Town doesn't end up in the same situation as the other GF games (with invisible advertising).