Pokémon Legends: Z-A – How Just 200,000 Sales Could Make the Game Profitable
Not long ago, there was a shocking leak from a former Nintendo employee about the new Pokémon Legends: Z-A. This employee revealed that the game would already be profitable if just 200,000 units were sold.
For a brand like Pokémon, which usually sells several million copies of its games, that is an extremely low threshold to break even. However, this comes at the expense of the game’s quality. And overall, this strategy casts a harsh light on the approaches of Nintendo, Game Freak, and the Pokémon series.
Background: Where the 200,000 Comes From
The number of 200,000 sales comes from a former Nintendo employee who spoke a bit about the budget in an online video. He said that the budget for Pokémon Legends: Z-A was relatively low — around 2 billion yen, which equals about 13 million USD. The game is sold for $60–70 depending on the edition, or €60–70 in Europe. 13 million divided by 65 equals exactly 200,000, meaning the game is already profitable with so few sales. According to rumors, this only covers the production costs, so marketing expenses would be additional.
Mainline Pokémon games like “Scarlet / Violet” usually sell over 10 million copies. The 200,000 units threshold is often surpassed just by pre-orders and is multiplied several times on release day. The budget for this game is also very low compared to other AAA titles, which often range from tens to hundreds of millions of dollars.
Graphics, Technology & Cost-Cutting in Pokémon Legends: Z-A
The low development budget is most noticeable in the lower-resolution textures, simple landscapes, reused assets, and often stiff animations. There are plenty of examples — take the windows, for instance: they are simply 2D textures slapped onto walls and not even high-resolution. In general, the cities lack detail and feel lifeless. Many animations are replaced by a black screen, suddenly cutting to another location or event. According to players, the Pokémon themselves look good — but that’s about it.
Some argue that the graphics and performance are toned down so the game can still run on the original Switch, but in that case, it should look significantly better on the Switch 2 — which it doesn’t. The resolution is slightly higher, but the differences are minimal. As you explore the world, objects pop in very close to your character on both consoles. Even worse, they appear in inconsistent order, so the nearest objects don’t always load first. On the Nintendo Switch 2, the game runs smoothly at 60 FPS, while on the original Switch it peaks at 30 FPS — and often struggles to maintain that, pointing to a clear lack of optimization.
What This Says About Game Freak and Pokémon
With Pokémon Legends: Z-A, we clearly see that Nintendo and Game Freak can generate millions in revenue with minimal investment. As a result, projects can be planned with very conservative budgets, but quality inevitably suffers. The Pokémon name alone is enough for many players to buy the game, making 200,000 sales practically guaranteed. The big question now is whether this trend will continue — and if budgets for future Pokémon titles will be cut even further in pursuit of maximum profit. Will there ever be a breaking point for players where they say — no, we won’t accept this anymore?
Conclusion: Pokémon Legends: Z-A – Success With Minimal Effort?
For many fans, Pokémon Legends: Z-A is disappointing due to its graphics, which reflects the tiny $13 million budget. But for Nintendo and Game Freak, it’s a clear signal that they can deliver a financially successful project with minimal effort. Whether this is seen as pragmatic efficiency or exploitation of the fanbase depends on your perspective.
Still, the game has convinced critics, holding a Metacritic score of 79 and similar ratings on other platforms, hovering around 80. But the question remains: how much cost-cutting is possible before the game loses its soul? Many fans are disappointed by how the game looks and are now wondering whether future titles will improve and raise standards again. And just as importantly, will fans demand those higher standards, or will they buy the game regardless — because if they do, nothing will change.
Hey, I’m Kilian, but online you’ll probably know me as “Tux1243.” I've been part of the team for almost two years now, always trying to keep you in the loop with the latest and coolest gaming news. I also have a huge passion for doing deep dives and detailed analyses of entire game series and franchises. I love getting to the bottom of things and exploring the little details and backstories that make game worlds so fascinating.
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