Pokemon should pump a little more money into the series, says former Nintendo marketing chief

Pokemon Legends: ZA is finally here, which means we have another round of discourse to wade through. Every time a big Pokemon game drops, there's usually talk of how underfunded the series is and how the games feel unfinished despite how much they bring in. It's an understandable complaint, since Pokemon Legends: ZA is full of flat balconies, nasty foliage, and barely any voice to be heard.

It's incredibly unusual for the biggest media franchise in the world to have a game that feels so cheap, and if recent Pokemon gig leaks are accurate, the game's relatively small budget may be the reason. Earlier this week, it was claimed that Pokemon Legends: ZA had a budget of just $13 million, which sounds like a lot, but is paltry considering blockbusters from other platform holders like PlayStation and Xbox usually reach budgets in the hundreds of millions.

Pokemon should pump a little more money into the series, says former Nintendo marketing chief

With this kind of information, accurate or not, the discussion about Nintendo and The Pokemon Company's continued underfunding of its cash cow has grown. Even former Nintendo marketing execs Krysta Yang and Kit Ellis are confused by the strategy, saying in their latest video (thanks to GamesRadar) that Nintendo should probably “put a little more money” into things they know are guaranteed to make money.

“I really don't understand the strategy that some marketer has come up with because you have a sure thing…it sells over and over again,” Yang says. “It's never had a problem selling, so why not invest a little more? … Just so you don't have crappy trees and windows.”

It's a fair point, and when you have games like Digimon Story: Time Stranger coming out and doing what Pokemon does, but at a much higher quality (at least aesthetically), you have to believe that Nintendo can't count on Pokemon bringing in big bucks with as little investment forever. You'd like to hope that Pokemon Wind & Waves (presumed Gen 10 title) will up the ante a bit more, but recent history has probably set us up for another disappointment.