It’s too early for Pokémon Scarlet and Violet

digitaltrends.com:

A new Pokémon game announcement is supposed to be a joyous occasion. I still remember waking up early one morning in the early 2010s to see the first trailer for Pokémon X and Y, which felt like a radical shift for the franchise at the time. I always look forward to those exciting few minutes that give me my first glance at a new adventure that will get my friends and me talking.

I didn’t quite have that same reaction when I saw the news about Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. When I turned on February’s digital Pokémon showcase, I was mostly excited to hear about new DLC for Pokémon Legends: Arceus. I got that news, but then the unexpected generation nine announcement quickly overshadowed it. Instead of eliciting a squeal of joy, it left me feeling a little disappointed.

That’s not because I don’t think it looks fun. On the contrary, I’m eager to explore the game’s Spain-inspired open-world alongside my new duck friend. It’s just that it feels like it’s releasing far too soon, giving developer Game Freak no time to take feedback from Arceus and use it to evolve the series.

When I played Pokémon Legends: Arceus, I routinely said “I can’t wait to see this feature in the next mainline Pokémon game.” From freeform catching to initiative-based combat, every little tweak felt like it was auditioning for the next big RPG. At the time, my assumption was that Arceus would allow Game Freak to put some space between Pokémon generations and test out some new mechanics in a lower-stakes game. I figured we’d see a proper sequel to Sword and Shield in late 2023 at the earliest, but with a lot of quality of life changes in tow.

That isn’t going to be the case. It’s now clear that Game Freak’s time was split over the past few years as it