In what has become an annual nightmare for The Pokémon Company, Game Freak has suffered yet another massive data breach, and this one hits different. Just days before the launch of Pokémon Legends: Z-A, a new wave of leaked documents has revealed something that has left the entire gaming community stunned: the actual development budgets for recent and upcoming Pokémon games. And the numbers are shockingly, almost embarrassingly low.
The Numbers That Broke the Internet
According to the leaked internal documents, here’s what Game Freak has been spending on the world’s most lucrative gaming franchise:
- Pokémon Legends: Z-A: ¥2 billion yen (approximately $13 million USD)
- Pokémon Wind and Waves (Gen 10): ¥3 billion yen (approximately $20 million USD)
- Scarlet & Violet DLC: ¥500 million yen (approximately $3.2 million USD)
To put these numbers in perspective, Pokémon is the highest-grossing media franchise of all time, raking in over $100 billion across all products. Yet Legends Z-A, a full-price AAA game that will likely sell 20-30 million copies, was developed for less than many indie titles. For comparison, modern AAA games regularly cost $100-300 million to develop[262][266].
Why This Explains So Much
For years, Pokémon fans have complained about the technical state of the games. Scarlet and Violet launched with embarrassing performance issues, frequent frame rate drops, and graphics that felt a generation behind. The latest games have consistently felt like they’re developed on a shoestring budget, and now we know that’s not far from the truth[266].
The community reaction has been a mix of vindication and frustration. One top Reddit comment sarcastically joked that the entire leak was “just a Post-It note that says, ‘even lower budget for next game'”[262]. Another pointed out the real issue: “A lot of people are going to complain about the money budget and not enough people will complain about the time budget of these games”[262]. The games aren’t just underfunded; they’re rushed through development at breakneck speed to meet the demands of the larger Pokémon media machine[264][268].
What Else Did the Leak Reveal?
The budget information is just the tip of the iceberg. This latest breach, which appears to be a continuation of last year’s devastating “Teraleak,” has exposed Game Freak’s entire roadmap through 2030. Here are the highlights (spoiler warning!):
- Gen 10 (Codename: Gaia): Titled “Pokémon Wind and Waves,” set in Southeast Asia, releasing in 2026 with DLC in 2027. It will reportedly feature a new engine to address performance issues[262][264].
- Legends Ringo: A second Legends game set in the Galar region (from Sword & Shield)[262].
- Project Seed: An ambitious title combining multiple regions from past games[262].
- Gen 11: Targeting a 2030 release[262].
The leak also included source code, beta builds, and concept art, making it one of the most comprehensive breaches in gaming history[270][262].
Your Questions About the Pokémon Budget Leak (FAQs)
- How much did Legends Z-A cost to make? Approximately $13 million USD, according to the leaked documents[262][264][266].
- Is this normal for Japanese game development? Japanese budgets are typically lower than Western ones due to factors like lower salaries, but this is still considered extremely low for a franchise of this scale[262].
- When did this leak happen? October 13, 2025, just three days before the official release of Legends Z-A[262][270].
- Is this connected to last year’s leak? Yes, this appears to be the second half of the 2024 “Teraleak,” with the hacker reportedly holding back this information until now[262][270].
- What is Nintendo doing about it? Nintendo has previously filed legal action, including subpoenaing Discord for the hacker’s identity. They will likely pursue further action[270].
Conclusion
This leak has pulled back the curtain on one of gaming’s most fascinating contradictions: the world’s most profitable franchise is being made on a budget that would make most indie developers blush. While $13 million is nothing to sneeze at, it’s a drop in the bucket compared to what Pokémon earns and what other franchises spend. The leak validates years of fan complaints about technical issues and raises serious questions about whether The Pokémon Company and Nintendo are investing enough in the games that built the empire. As Legends Z-A launches this week, the conversation has shifted from “What’s in the game?” to “Why didn’t they spend more to make it better?”