Q

Anonymous asked:

I understand that your posts about Pokemon are to explain why the games are in the direction they are in, but I find that they don't address the legitimate complaints and frustrations people have about the game. Mainly the lack of polish and the amount of bugs that are in the recent games. Don't you think fans are right to air their grievances and expecting something better in terms of quality out of a large IP like Pokemon? Don't you think at least the way Pokemon Company is scheduling new generations needs to change in some way to give Game Freak devs more time to work? The complaints that many fans are having are real and genuine.

A

I only answer the questions that people ask me, not the questions that others might wish someone asked me. If you want me to answer questions about the legitimate complaints fans have, you can always ask. Here are my answers to your questions:

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Fans always retain the right to complain about what they do and do not like about the games they play. They can say whatever it is they want and I will always respect their right to ask for whatever they want. Fans do not have the right to expect that the developer or publisher do what they ask - it always remains the decision of the publisher and developer to gather the feedback and decide how to act on it. What the fans get is a value proposition - the publisher offers this game at a certain price and the fans decide whether they feel the game is worth the price. If certain fans do not feel there is sufficient value in the game, they are by no means obligated to buy the game or play the game. In fact, I encourage any player who feels dissatisfied with a game franchise to spend their time and money elsewhere. There are far too many good games out there that don’t get enough attention to waste time on a game that isn’t meeting my needs.

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  • I think that Game Freak, being joint owner of the Pokemon Company alongside Creatures and Nintendo, generally has plenty of control over their own schedule and destiny. I don’t think they are being forced to do this against their will, I think they set what they believe is a reasonable schedule.
  • I think that player expectation that each successive generation Pokemon game support every pokemon ever made is unfeasible in the long term.
  • I think that every game release, Pokemon or no, is a delicate balancing act between adding enough new and engaging content and polishing the experience enough to reduce overall player frustration to manageable levels.
  • I think that players should offer their feedback (especially about the things they dislike), but should not have the expectation their demands will be met.
  • I think that players always retain the right to walk away from the franchise if they don’t feel their needs are being met. I wish more players would exercise that right, rather than continuing to buy the game they dislike. I don’t think that’s healthy.
  • I think that the company has the right to make what decisions they want, as long as they are ok with accepting the consequences (financial, social, and otherwise) of those decisions. Most of the time, they are ok with it. I don’t recall seeing the Pokemon Company or Game Freak issue an apology for something they did.

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Oct. 27 2023
#personal soapbox #dealing with community #value proposition
47 notes

Notes

  1. remarkableheart reblogged this from askagamedev
  2. supercomputer276 reblogged this from askagamedev
  3. andrasandreas said: What incentive does a game company have to alter their development process if people continue to buy their games no matter how much they say they hate them? That’s what’s crazy to me, like why would a game dev listen to your complaints that require significant restructuring if you already gave them your money and have proven you’ll continue to do so without any changes being made.
  4. brokenergy reblogged this from askagamedev
  5. chivi-lazy-blog said: Holy shit are pokémon fans being annoying, askagamedev isn’t an authority, he’s just answering questions out of kindness, if he doesn’t agree with you that’s y'alls problem. And tbh, most of those “legitimate complaints” have been nonsensical rage.
  6. xelan101 reblogged this from askagamedev
  7. madameevil reblogged this from askagamedev
  8. dare-to-dm said: Honestly, many gamers’ buying habits drive me up a wall. So many people buy games on sale and never play them (which is a waste of money). Or buy games full priced without any investigation into whether they’ll like them or not. For 70 dollars, you bet I’ll at least look at the ratings and some reviews.
  9. theothin reblogged this from askagamedev
  10. redtutel reblogged this from askagamedev
  11. askagamedev posted this
    I understand that your posts about Pokemon are to explain why the games are in the direction they are in, but I find...