"Game Freak is a small indie company": Fans criticize Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's battle animations

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are only a few months away, releasing on November 18, 2022. However, fans are returning to the point of contention they've sounded off on in the past: in-game battle animations.

Since the successful release of Pokemon Legends: Arceus, many trainers in the community have hailed the title as a step forward in animations, battle included. However, some are considering the in-game animations of Scarlet and Violet to be lacking, with Twitter user @Lewchube remarking that even physical contact moves don't exhibit contact between opponents any longer.

In response, user @pory_leeks sarcastically referred to Game Freak as "a small indie company" that would be "incapable" of implementing Legends: Arceus’ standard of battle animations to the upcoming Generation IX titles.

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Pokemon GO: Battle animation criticism stokes an old problem for Game Freak

Larvitar and Pikachu face off in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet (Image via Game Freak)

Game Freak's release of footage of Pokemon battles in Scarlet and Violet has surely opened an old wound for some players in the fanbase. In previous games such as Generation VIII's Let's GO! series and the Sword and Shield titles, Game Freak received criticism for recycling battle and idle animations of various Pokemon that were previously seen in Pokemon GO.

Game Freak weathered the criticism, with the respective titles resultingly still selling well, but a segment of the fanbase never forgot the controversy. Some players have even remarked that Scarlet and Violet's battle animations are a step back after the progress made in Legends: Arceus.

While some players in the community pointed out that Scarlet and Violet began development before Legends: Arceus was produced, many trainers didn't let that excuse come to pass.

According to these critics, Game Freak is one of the most robust and well-funded developers in gaming, and making changes to attack animations is well within their capabilities, especially since they could have done so after the production of Legends: Arceus.

Since both titles share a parallel timeline, some have seen the animations in Scarlet and Violet as a conscientious decision as opposed to one out of necessity.

While there is still some time before Pokemon Scarlet and Violet release in November, turning things around and re-tooling the in-game battle animations at this point in production is highly unlikely.

Despite the number of resources Game Freak has available, the two Generation IX games have been in production for years and are likely well past the point of reworking aspects of battle. This is especially true considering that the games are released in only a few months, which is considered the end of a game's given production cycle in most circumstances.

While the animations are certainly a point of contention for some trainers, they appear to be a vocal minority, as much of the reception towards the upcoming titles has been quite positive.

Only time will tell if these discrepancies cause issues in sales for Game Freak and Nintendo. Still, the companies have weathered their fair share of criticisms in the past and have continued with exceptional sales for their mainline franchise titles in most situations.