The Switch 2 Changes Everything for Pokémon

Pokémon games are the single most important piece of the Pokémon ecosystem.

They define the franchise’s universe, establish new worlds to explore, introduce us to new characters, and serve as the engine behind the brand. This is why it’s so important that Game Freak, the developer of all core Pokémon games, continue to deliver excellence.

And yet, over the past 7 years, the core games have failed to live up to their potential, let alone fan expectations.

The launch of the Nintendo Switch forced Pokémon to modernize from a handheld-first game to a full-featured console experience. And, let’s face it: Game Freak failed.

Let’s Go Pikachu/Eevee, Sword & Shield, Legends Arceus, and Scarlet & Violet were all wildly profitable (each selling over 15 million copies), and many fans enjoyed them.

But when compared against other Switch games like Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Super Mario Odyssey, or even Animal Crossing, the comparison is brutal. Game Freak’s games were riddled with performance issues, lacked polish, and felt a generation behind in terms of visuals, animations, and world design.

As a long-time Pokémon fan, I’ve been a little concerned…

But, there’s finally a reason to be optimistic: the Switch 2.

Nintendo’s latest console provides a massive performance boost. Take the Switch 2 upgrades to Zelda: Breath of the Wild and its sequel, Tears of the Kingdom, as an example. Running on this new hardware, Nintendo’s most technically ambitious games, which were huge successes on the original Switch hardware, despite performance issues, now run like a dream with gorgeous 4k, 60 fps gameplay.

And, the Switch 2 is already improving Pokémon: the free Switch 2 upgrade to Scarlet & Violet has dramatically improved its technical performance, finally letting it play as originally intended with more Pokémon on the screen, longer sight-lines, and consistent, smooth gameplay.

Even more promising is that Game Freak has delayed the release of the next generation of Pokémon by a full year. For nearly two decades, the company stuck to a rigid 3-year cycle between generations. That cadence left little time to evolve the game engine or innovate.

A one-year delay might not sound like much, but for Game Freak, it’s a sign that they’re willing to take more drastic action so they can deliver a better game. That alone is progress.

But perhaps the most shocking news has nothing to do with Pokémon. It’s Game Freak’s newly announced AAA game: Beast of Reincarnation.

And the first reaction from Pokémon fans? Disbelief.

“How is this from the same studio?”
“Why doesn’t Pokémon look this good?”
“Where was this level of detail, animation, and care when they made Scarlet & Violet?”

The trailer for Beast of Reincarnation shocking for anyone who’s followed Pokémon over all these years. It’s dynamic. It’s beautiful. It looks like a proper modern action game. See for yourself:

For many, the disconnect was infuriating.

But I believe we should see it differently… Because this is what hope looks like.

Game Freak, when working from scratch - on a new engine, with modern hardware, and without the weight of 1,000 legacy Pokémon models and decades of technical debt - is proving they are capable of so much more.

Of course, there’s no guarantee the final Beast of Reincarnation game will live up to the trailer.

And no, I’m not expecting a Breath of the Wild-level revolution for Pokémon just yet… (But, a guy’s gotta dream, right?) Because, when developing a Pokémon game, Game Freak does need to support that massive (and growing) catalog of more than 1,000 Pokémon…

But for those of us investing in the long-term strength of the Pokémon brand, this new generation might just be the sign of life we’ve been waiting for from Game Freak.

It tells us that the Pokémon franchise, already one of the most enduring media properties in history, still has the potential to grow. And that its most important pillar, the video games themselves, have a bright future.

In investing, there’s a principle called the Lindy Effect: the longer something has lasted, the longer it’s likely to last.

Pokémon has already proven it has staying power over nearly 3 decades.

And now we’re seeing signs it can still adapt.

And that gives us one more reason to believe the best is yet to come.

As always,

Thank you so much for reading the TCG Buyers Club newsletter.

My name’s Grey, I buy cardboard, an I’m on a mission to make collecting and investing in Pokémon simple.

P.S. I was originally working on a post about how many cards The Pokémon Company has printed over the last year and what it might tell us about the current state of the market, but I was simply too blown away by this new Game Freak game and needed to write about it. So, next week you should get my analysis on the print waves. Thanks as always for the support! 🍻