Leaked Game Freak Budgets Reveal Pokémon Titles Cost Just $14–22M — Fans Are Furious
Leaked internal documents from Game Freak have circulated online, and they include reported development budgets for recent mainline Pokémon titles. The leak also includes detailed planning materials, concept art, and other internal files that have been shared on social media and subsequently removed in some cases.
- Nintendo and Game Freak approach
- Fan reaction and discussion
- Pokémon Legends: Z-A visuals and development notes
- What remains unconfirmed
Budget figures reported in the leak
Leakers posted what they say are internal Game Freak budget figures for recent Pokémon games. According to those shared documents, the reported costs are:
- Pokémon Sword and Shield: 2.498 billion yen (~$16.4 million)
- Pokémon Legends: Arceus: 2.175 billion yen (~$14.4 million)
- Pokémon Scarlet and Violet: 3.298 billion yen (~$21.8 million)
These numbers were shared publicly by accounts that posted the leaked materials.
Pokémon Games Final Budgets (in ¥JPY):
– SWSH: 2,498 million
– SWSH DLC: 386 million
– PLA: 2,175 million
– SV: 3,298 million
– SV DLC: 1,423 million
(way over budget as it was planned to cost 500 million)
– PLZA (estimate): 2,000 million
– WIWA (early estimate): 3,000 million— Centro LEAKS (@CentroLeaks) October 14, 2025
Industry comparisons
To put those figures in context, some recent major AAA titles and franchises report much larger budgets. For example:
- Treyarch’s Call of Duty: Black Ops titles were reported to have had aggregate costs between approximately $450–700 million for three entries released between 2015 and 2020; single-title budgets across the industry have grown since then. See reporting from GameFile for details.
- Sony-published exclusives such as Ghost of Tsushima have been reported around the $60 million production mark in some coverage; further context on large PlayStation budgets is available from GameLuster.
- Some mid-size single-title budgets have been reported in the tens of millions; for instance, Remedy stated Control’s development cost around $52.9 million, with break-even sales estimates reported by IGN.
Nintendo and Game Freak approach
Nintendo executives have publicly discussed development costs and philosophies. In a recent investor Q&A, Shigeru Miyamoto said, “We believe that not all products require large costs.” He added, “Even in the case of video games, with the current technology it is possible to create fun games with a small number of developers in a short period of time. We believe it is important not to lose sight of this perspective.” Miyamoto also said, “Bigger budgets do not necessarily equate to better ideas.”
Separately, Nintendo disclosed large research and development expenditures; Gamespot reported Nintendo spent about $880 million on R&D for software and hardware in 2021. See the Nintendo investor Q&A on Nintendo’s site and the R&D report on GameSpot.
Fan reaction and discussion
Public reaction to the budget figures has appeared across forums and social platforms. Users on sites like Reddit and other social networks have discussed whether reported budgets explain recurring technical or visual issues that fans have flagged in Pokémon games.
Reporting on community discussion and screenshots from the leak has led to some posts being removed; the accounts that shared parts of the leak were reportedly hit with DMCA takedowns.
Images on @CentroLeaks_alt have now been deleted by Nintendo pic.twitter.com/cxZSlWJe2D
— Centro LEAKS (@CentroLeaks) October 14, 2025
Pokémon Legends: Z-A visuals and development notes
Materials from the leak and community comparisons note that Pokémon Legends: Z-A appears to have undergone changes during development that affected textures and cityscape assets, according to screenshots and files shared online. The game had not been released at the time of the leak’s circulation, and reviewers later described the title as reportedly fun while also noting technical or visual issues in some coverage.
The Pokémon series has a history of fan commentary about visual fidelity, including long-running conversations about Pokémon Sword and Shield and Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. For historical examples of that conversation, see reporting such as the article on graphical concerns published at TheGamer and other coverage.
What remains unconfirmed
The leaked figures and files have not been publicly confirmed by Nintendo or Game Freak. Nintendo has taken legal steps in prior incidents related to leaked Game Freak materials, and some of the material shared online has been removed via takedown notices. Reporting noted a range of supporting documents in the leak, including planning spreadsheets and concept art, but independent verification of the budget numbers from either company has not been made public.
Readers seeking primary sources can review reporting and the original posts where available; some of the leaked material was posted to social platforms and later removed. For an example of the meme referenced in community discussion, one thread linked to a historical post on social media.
i want shorter games with worse graphics made by people who are paid more to work less and i'm not kidding
— jordan 🇵🇸 (@Jordan_Mallory) June 29, 2020
Finally, coverage comparing development costs and required sales for break-even includes analyses such as IGN’s outline of sales expectations for titles like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. See IGN’s report and other industry reporting for more context.
