Throughout the storied history of Pokémon video games, the franchise has changed significantly, but despite its traditions, it runs the risk of having (arguably) too many titles produced too quickly. What began as a black-and-white JRPG with a relatively simple battle system has evolved into a fully-fledged 3D open world RPG, but in recent years, the Pokémon formula has been the topic of many heated debates within the fan community online. Complaints have been leveled against, among other things, the inconsistent direction of the series. Newer generations of Pokémon games have felt less distinguished from their predecessors, as the series suffers from a burnout akin to the kind plaguing Assassin's Creed.

Pokémon games now are substantially different beasts than they were in the past, both visually and mechanically. However, while the games have gotten more complex and introduced new features, they don't often take full advantage of their innovations. Many of the biggest changes in Pokémon game history were in its earlier titles, when the series still had plenty of room to grow in obvious areas. Mechanics were introduced then, such as held items and abilities, have since become commonplace, while few modern gimmicks last beyond their generation. Even with the creation of a new paradigm for the franchise, the process was muddled by an unwarranted haste to release title after title.

Related: Pokémon's Most Immersive World Feature Could Upgrade Scarlet & Violet

Before its shift to making massive open world action RPGs, the Assassin's Creed franchise was often accused of prioritizing quantity over quality. It pushed out main-series games on an annual schedule, with spinoffs releasing alongside them, and many fans felt like the end result wasn't worth the frequency of new content. Now it seems that Pokémon may be encountering similar problems to Assassin's Creed's formula. While Pokémon Sword and Shield ignited the spark of open-world gameplay that would carry through Pokémon Legends: Arceus and into Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, even that major innovation has been met with wariness from fans due to its seemingly half-baked nature.

Pokémon Games Need More Time Between Releases

Split image showing a Trainer holding a Poké Ball and a battle in Pokémon Scarlet & Violet.

The extent to which Pokémon can pull off a fully open world game remains to be seen, but one thing is certain: more development time would only be a boon. As impressive a departure from the series' formula as Pokémon Legends: Arceus was, it still felt like it was missing a level of polish that Nintendo would certainly be equipped to provide one of its most profitable franchises. By giving developers more time and resources, modern Pokémon titles could have better endgame content, higher fidelity environments, voice acting, and more comprehensive rosters of Pokémon. Setting aside the limitations of the Switch itself, as one of the most iconic video game franchises in history, Pokémon deserves to be able to put its best foot forward.

Main series Pokémon games have historically been released at a fairly consistent biennial pace - a mold which is now being broken, with Game Freak releasing Pokémon Legends: Arceus and Pokémon Scarlet and Violet only 10 months apart. Regardless of how good those games are, neither they nor the developers making them are likely to be positively affected by such a tight schedule. Ironically, given the apparent direction of Pokémon's newest titles, it may be in their best interest to follow Assassin's Creed's lead once again. Slowing down production to better suit ambition may inconvenience impatient fans, but it would also be a long-term benefit to the quality of Pokémon as a whole.

Next: Best Pokémon TCG Cards In Japan That Preview Silver Tempest Set