>>43093762Well, I'd say the only big risk there was the dex thing itself, the other things were just enhancements or not that significative. In the end the game itself didn't look and feel that much different, although it did feel a bit fresher and the leaders were more fleshed out than the ones in that one region that only cares about gyms.
If you want that kind of risks, Sun&Moon didn't just have a big focus on story, it was the ENTIRE point of it and was careful to not retread the same story beats as always (then USUM came and ruined it). They also outright replaced the entire gym system, which is the most evident symbol of stagnation int he franchise.
And while we were distracted with all those, they chopped off features, QoL and content left and right. 