An apology for Pokemon Scarletand Violet's launch issues has been made by Nintendo of Canada general manager Susan Pennefather. It's now been over two and a half months since Pokemon Scarlet and Violet arrived with a variety of frustrating technical problems. Nintendo has largely remained silent on the subject, outside of acknowledging player feedback. Pokemon Scarletand Violet players have been waiting for a further acknowledgment of the problems for some time.The closest Nintendo has gotten to an apology prior to now came with Pokemon Scarletand Violet's first patch notes. The message delivered ahead of the December 1 update said that Nintendo was taking player feedback seriously and would "continue to work on improvements." That update, notably, made no meaningful improvements to Pokemon ScarletandViolet. Update 1.2 is said to arrive in late February, though whether it makes significant changes remains to be seen.Nintendo of Canada general manager Susan Pennefather has delivered the most candid statement of apology from the company yet. Speaking with the Financial Post, Pennefather was asked about Pokemon ScarletandViolet's performance issues and what Nintendo learned from the software launch. Pennefather responded, "We absolutely apologize," noting that it's important Nintendo give players a "positive experience with its games." Further, Pennefather says that when players do not have a positive experience, Nintendo takes it "very much to heart."
Pennfather also provides as much of an update regarding Nintendo's efforts to improve Pokemon ScarletandViolet as has been delivered yet. She says that feedback from players has "absolutely been taken seriously" and that improvements are currently being worked on. Nintendo has not committed to improvements prior. Pokemon ScarletandViolet update 1.2 is said to feature "added functionality" and "bug fixes," but there's no word regarding whether it will address more substantial issues with Pokemon ScarletandViolet.
It's surprising that Pennefather felt comfortable addressing the topic of Pokemon ScarletandViolet's launch during an interview, or that Nintendo allowed the comment to be published. Nintendo is obviously controlling messaging regarding Pokemon Scarletand Violet's launch company-wide. An apology and a promise of improvements are welcome, but may not be a message Nintendo headquarters in Japan wanted to be made.
While Nintendo has largely remained silent regarding the state of Pokemon ScarletandViolet, changes are still expected. Nintendo has made a routine of releasing DLC for its Pokemon games, and if it wants to continue doing so with Pokemon ScarletandViolet fixing, the game's technical issues will be needed. Update 1.2, scheduled to arrive later this month, will hopefully provide some perspective on the matter.
Pokemon Scarlet and Pokemon Violet are available now on Switch.
