Hold onto your Poké Balls, because the Pokémon world is in an uproar! A massive leak has just exposed Game Freak’s plans for the franchise until 2030, but it’s the shockingly low development budgets that have fans scratching their heads and demanding answers. This isn’t the first time the Pokémon developer has faced such a breach—last year’s ‘teraleak’ revealed significant internal data, including unannounced games, and led to Nintendo’s legal battle to unmask the hacker. But here’s where it gets controversial: just days before the release of Pokémon Legends: Z-A, this new leak spills the beans on future projects, concept art, and—most controversially—budgets that seem far too modest for one of gaming’s biggest franchises.
Let’s break it down. Pokémon Legends: Z-A reportedly had a budget of just 2 billion yen (around $13 million). While Japanese game development budgets are often smaller than those in the West, this feels like a drop in the ocean for a series of Pokémon’s caliber. And this is the part most people miss: with recent Pokémon Switch games criticized for poor performance, fans are worried that these low budgets signal a lack of investment in quality. Could this be why the games aren’t living up to modern standards?
The internet is buzzing with reactions. One Reddit user joked that the leak is ‘just a Post-It note saying, “even lower budget for the next game.”’ Another pointed out that while everyone’s complaining about the money, not enough people are talking about the time constraints these games face. And here’s a bold question: Is Game Freak cutting corners, or are these budgets a reflection of deeper issues within the industry?
The leak also reveals details about the next four games planned until 2030. Spoiler alert! The tenth-generation game, codenamed Gaia and titled Pokémon Wind and Waves, is reportedly set in Southeast Asia and scheduled for next year, with a slightly higher budget of 3 billion yen ($20 million). Fans are hoping this means improvements, like a new engine, to address performance issues. Following that, a Legends game set in the Galar region (Ringo), a project combining multiple regions (Seed), and the eleventh generation in 2030 are all on the horizon.
But let’s pump the brakes—how reliable is this information? Even if the details are accurate, plans could have changed since these documents were created. And let’s not forget the fan speculation swirling around every tidbit. Eurogamer has reached out to The Pokémon Company and Nintendo for comment, but so far, silence reigns.
This leak comes hot on the heels of Pokémon Legends: Z-A spoilers flooding the internet, with copies of the game already being streamed and illegal ROMs available. It’s a wild time for Pokémon fans, but it also raises bigger questions: Are these leaks a cry for better treatment of the franchise, or just a symptom of an industry struggling to keep secrets? What do you think? Let’s debate in the comments—are these budgets justified, or is Pokémon deserving of more?
