>>48141610Z, a probable third version for XY, doesn't get announced in 2015, leading to further confusion and resentment from /vp/, especially as Z gets teased by other canons such as the anime's XY iteration being renamed to "XY&Z". Sun and Moon get announced in 2016, and while they are first viewed with some initial skepticism considering ORAS, it eventually fades as Game Freak unleashes an amazing advertising blitz. The tagline of "It all comes together", the new and novel ideas the game presents, the puzzling leaks from a leaker named the Riddler, and the lore theorycrafting leads to a powerful hype season. People start believing that GF is backtracking on their views in ORAS, and that they've learned from their mistakes in Gen 6.
SM releases. Well, it also turns out disappointing, and it turns out that 90% of the game was advertised, leading to few surprises. Additionally, many feel that the game didn't execute its new ideas well, suffered from overly linear map design and a lack of dungeons, and overfocused on Lillie, a companion in the game, to the games' detriment.
Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon get announced not even a year later, as a pair of third versions instead of a singular one. The dissappointment from SM and the belief that USUM is just a cash grab leads to a bitter hype season, which turns out to be justified as USUM fixes almost none of SM's flaws, and manages to mess up the story, one of the few things SM had going for it. "Ultra Changes", a tagline for the games, becomes another infamous line thanks to this. (cont.)
