Z-A’s DLC And Online Sub Sparks Backlash

Technology

There were plenty of really exciting announcements about Pokémon Legends: Z-A during last week’s Nintendo Direct, with fans especially thrilled that several Pokémon who probably should’ve gotten Mega Evolutions a decade ago would finally get them in the upcoming RPG. The Kalos starters and the big mouse himself, Raichu, are all getting these beefed-up transformations in Legends: Z-A after they were each snubbed when X and Y first introduced the mechanic back in 2013. However, the excitement has quickly been replaced with annoyance, as each of these new forms has both paid and skill-based gates put on them, and the base game isn’t even out yet.

Let’s start with the most straightforward one. Mega Raichu X and Y are part of Legends: Z-A’s $30 Mega Dimension DLC. This is a post-game story expansion that will introduce both Raichu Mega forms and involve Hoopa, the dimension-jumping mythical Pokémon, who is apparently opening up new dimensional rifts throughout Lumiose City. Paid DLC for Pokémon games isn’t new, as both Sword and Shield and Scarlet and Violet had them, but they weren’t announced until some time after the games launched. 

There has been some misinformation spreading, suggesting that Mega Dimension is a day-one DLC and that the new story content is ready to go and is being deliberately separated from the main game to squeeze out an extra $30 from fans, but that’s not entirely accurate. Mega Dimension is listed on the eShop as having the same October 16 release date as Legends: Z-A, but this is because buying the DLC grants you immediate access to a set of costumes, while the story content, and Mega Raichu X and Y, will be out “by February 28th, 2026.” Nevertheless, Mega Dimension raises the cost of Legends: Z-A’s set of new Mega Evolutions to $100 total if you’re buying the game on Nintendo Switch 2, as the game itself is $70.

“Paid DLC for a 70$ game that’s not even out yet.. Are you fucking kidding me…Silksong is 20 dollars btw,” a user on Reddit wrote in response to the announcement. 

“I missed when Pokémon was a full game,” another user replied. “Well into the era of scam DLCs they made full games. Even Legends Arceus is [a] post-pandemic full game. Sad to see them doing this shit, and this direction has me reconsidering a purchase of Z-A.”

DLC isn’t new, though, so there’s some precedent for Mega Raichu and any others added in Mega Dimensions that might be unveiled between now and launch to be gated behind a paywall. The Kalos starter Mega Evolutions, however, are adding a new wrinkle to completing the Pokedex that is gated behind both an additional cost and a gameplay skill check. In order to get Mega Chesnaught, Delphox, and Greninja, you’ll have to rise up the ranks in online battles, and that means you not only have to play online, but you have to win against other players. The first rub of this is that it’s another pay gate, as you’ll have to pay for an online subscription to play against other trainers through the internet. It will require at least a few months of subscribing to get all three, as each is being given out as a seasonal reward, though we don’t know how long each season will last yet. A Nintendo Online membership costs at least $3.99 a month, so you likely won’t be able to get all the Mega Evolutions the game has to offer without also spending at least $12 on a subscription.

After you’ve paid to play online, you’ll actually have to defeat other players, meaning that if you’re not a skilled competitive player who is looking to get sweaty in ranked matches, you could very well not get the Mega Stones you’re paying for. This also means you won’t be able to have any of these forms on your team during your first playthrough, which is a real bummer for folks who want to have these guys by their side as they see Legends: Z-A’s story through.

 

When you lay it all out, completing the Mega Pokedex in Legends: Z-A will cost, at minimum, $112 on the Switch 2. If you’re playing the game on the original Switch, that total will be 10 dollars lower as the game itself only costs $60 on older hardware. But wowza, that’s a lot of money to be asking for when the game isn’t even out yet. That’s nearly the price of two full-priced games, which is typically what The Pokémon Company asks for when it puts out each new pair of games each generation. Maybe this is the company’s way of making up for taking a year off from a mainline RPG or DLC in 2024, or perhaps The Pokémon Company has the type of greed they talk about in the Bible. One way or another, completing Legends: Z-A just got much more expensive after one Nintendo Direct, and that’s not the vibe Game Freak or The Pokémon Company probably wants with the game just a month away from launch on October 16.




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