I don’t envy Game Freak. It’s a weird statement to make because for more than 20 years, the company has been part owner of the world’s most popular role-playing game franchise. Game Freak has guided the Pokémon video game franchise since its inception on the Game Boy, creating more than 800 different creatures across eight different generations of games with millions of copies sold.
A big part of the reason why it’s been so successful is it’s always been tied to Nintendo’s most popular hardware. From the Game Boy to the 3DS, Pokémon has enjoyed worldwide success on handheld consoles even though the hardware was considerably weaker than their home console counterparts. But now there isn’t an underpowered handheld to develop for, no outdated graphics technology to hide behind. Now there is only the Switch, and with higher quality hardware come higher standards of what players expect from the world’s most popular JRPG.
Source: Destructoid Review: Pokemon Sword