Pokemon Scarlet and Violet reportedly developed in about 2.5 years, according to git logs shared on Reddit

In the wave of recent leaks from Game Freak, certain users on the PokeLeaks subreddit have discovered some information about Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. The game was revealed to have officially started development in the summer of 2020, during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.

With the development period revealed, it is no surprise why these games felt so rushed. User Icy-ConcentrationC started a discussion on the PokeLeaks subreddit with fellow users regarding the discovered git logs. Git logs keep track of commit commands, which are implementations or changes to a project's code.

(Reupload) According to git logs, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet were created on May 29, 2020. They began true development on Jun 18, 2020. byu/Icy-ConcentrationC inPokeLeaks

In the git logs showcased in the post, it can be seen that the initial commit, the first thing added to Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's code, was recorded on May 29, 2020, with that first addition being a read-me file, a common occurrence in video game files. The project was then dropped for almost a month before being picked up again on June 18, 2020.

Comment byu/Icy-ConcentrationC from discussion inPokeLeaks

As pointed out by user Affectionate_Day6279, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet started their programming process during the 2020 pandemic, which greatly impacted its development cycle as many employees were likely laid off or forced to work from home.

With the game already having a strict deadline, the pandemic and rushed programming likely led to Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's questionable quality.

Comment byu/Icy-ConcentrationC from discussion inPokeLeaks

Another good detail, which user Luxanna123321 pointed out, is that new Pokemon projects have been taking longer to develop as a response to the harsh criticism Pokemon Scarlet and Violet received. This can be seen with Game Freak releasing little information on the upcoming Pokemon Legends Z-A title, despite it being set to drop this year (2025).

Users discuss some of the positive aspects of Pokemon Scarlet and Violet

While these games are seen collectively as a bit of a mess in terms of performance and visual quality, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet had many positive aspects as highlighted by users like ToothyBirbs. Many users praise the titles for its great creature design and characters. This makes the rushed programming period even more heartbreaking for those who enjoyed the game.

---

How did Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's rushed programming period hurt them in the long run?

For a game with the scale of Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, 2 and a half years is an incredibly short programming period (Image via The Pokemon Company)

To the average person, two and a half years can sound like a pretty long time. However, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's massive scope from being the franchise's first truly open-world game, paired with the development team's inexperience in developing a project of such a scale, means that more time was a definite necessity for the programming team.

The issue of rushed development times comes from a conflict between the evolution of the franchise over newer platforms and the strict deadline for each new Pokemon game. Development times for each new title have been consistent since the fourth generation, with each new generation coming out a couple of years or so after the last.

This was a sustainable production cycle while the franchise was on less powerful hardware and featured only sprite art and some light 3D modeling. Now, however, this strict window has become an issue as the franchise shifts to home consoles where a certain level of quality is expected. Hopefully Game Freak continues to dedicate more time to their projects in the future.