Pokémon Champions Producer Addresses Graphics Limitations
▼ Summary
– Masaaki Hoshino, a veteran technical director at The Pokémon Company, acknowledged fan criticism of Pokémon Champions’ graphics and gameplay, saying the team tried their best.
– Hoshino compared Champions to Pokkén Tournament, noting that Pokkén achieved high graphics quality but only showed two Pokémon on screen at once, while Champions faces more limitations.
– Pokémon Champions runs on mobile devices and is locked at 30 FPS on Nintendo Switch 2, with visuals nearly identical to the Switch 1 version.
– Hoshino defended the team’s work, pointing out improvements like individual Pokémon shadows and enhanced battle effects in Champions.
– His comments address internal discussions about the Pokémon series’ graphics struggles, but may not fully resolve fan debates.
Masaaki Hoshino, a technical director at The Pokémon Company and one of its longest-tenured developers, has responded directly to fan criticism regarding the visual shortcomings of Pokémon Champions. Hoshino’s career began with Pokémon Yellow, and he later served as producer on the fighting spin-off Pokkén Tournament before helping to bring both Pokémon Unite and Champions to life.
In an interview with Eurogamer Germany, Hoshino addressed the backlash head-on. “Yes, as a Pokémon fan, I naturally understand the various discussions currently taking place within the fan community… I can totally relate to all of it. Regarding the graphics and gameplay, we’ve truly tried to do our best in both areas,” he said. While he acknowledged the negative feedback, he initially avoided explaining why Pokémon Champions exhibits rough visual edges and limited performance. The game looks nearly identical on the Nintendo Switch 2 as it does on the original Switch, with the framerate locked to 30 FPS.
Instead, Hoshino pointed to his work on Pokkén Tournament as a point of comparison. “I have experience from working on Pokkén Tournament, and one of my goals for that game was actually to make the Pokémon game with the best graphics at the time. And I think we did a good job with that back then. But only two Pokémon were ever visible on screen at the same time. With Pokémon Champions, we have more limitations,” he explained. While Champions must also run on mobile devices, the fact remains that a turn-based battler sticking to tradition is not a demanding title for console hardware capable of running far more visually complex games.
It is possible that Pokémon Champions will receive graphical improvements over the coming months, particularly on the Switch 2. Hoshino defended the team’s work, noting that all Pokémon now have “their own shadows” and improved “battle effects.” His comments may not calm the ongoing debate over the Pokémon series’ persistent struggle with graphics, but they do indicate that internal conversations are at least taking place.
(Source: Eurogamer.net)
