>>33625091Yeah really, this is the answer. They're trying to compete with mobile gaming, and so thus, have decided to make the games less focused on competition, less focused on Pokemon battling, and instead becoming a more casual, easy-going game, that's full of simple mini party games.
Kid's nowadays simply don't have the attention spans to devote time to a game. They want quick and easy, reward filled games, with simple controls and fast replayability.
They don't want to have to spend hours grinding to be able to beat the next NPC, or have to think about strategy.
Just look at what they've done to your recent rivals, they're no longer someone that's in direct competition with you, instead they're your friend, and they're quite happy to lose to you even.
The removal of gyms is another thing, again, to make the game more casual, and less focused on competition. Kids just don't want to have to work for something. They just want to win, and to see the next cutscene, or get the next pokemon.
I can honestly see a future where the Pokemon games will be free, and instead, full of microtransactions. You'll pay to level your pokemon up faster, or to unlock specific ones, etc.
It's just the way it's heading.
