>>39004541LACK OF TIME
It's a new generation. It's the first (mainline) Pokemon game to come out on a non-portable console.
Gamefreak have stated that they started working on Gen 8 immediately after XY were complete, back in 2014. They've had a self-admitted 5 YEARS of work on this game.
This was their excuse for why Sun and Moon were subpar. Ohmori was training as the new director and had a smaller team (Which he complained about in interviews. He programmed all the Alola Trials himself in the last few months of development because he didn't have a full team to help him.)
This is why UltraSun and UltraMoon's ultra changes were subpar. They were just a last hurrah on the 3DS. They separated the typical third version into two games, despite having less content added than usual, to make some cash to support the rest of the development of Gen 8.
This is why the Let's Go games were subpar. They were just training on how to develop for the Switch and the team responsible for these games would join the rest of them to help finish Sword and Shield.
Despite all this, they not only kept working on other Pokemon games, but on other franchises too! Like the current development for Town. (which Gamefreak employees have admitted in interviews is currently a more exciting project than Pokemon)
And they STILL LACK TIME? Maybe they lack time management skills instead?
So, what's left? Gamefreak has to do no modelling, no rigging, no texture work, game balance obviously isn't that high a priority for them and never has been, they've had plenty of time to make all these games....
Where is this amazing amount of effort that they keep complaining about?
That stops them from making Sword and Shield the best Pokemon games ever?
What is it that they can't even outsource from other companies?
Could it be that Gamefreak is simply incompetent?
Could it be that Pokemon is simply not their priority anymore?