The whole point of this post was to assume that they won't make a console pokemon game. They've said as much. Pokemon belongs on handhelds to them. While I 100% disagree with them on that, the point of this thread was to say that they will soon be able to make the console quality Pokemon game 99% of fans have been begging for on the handheld space they don't want to give up, and when that happens, they need to change.

If Ubisoft can make a new Assassin's Creed once a year, Nintendo can get a team together that is compitent enough to pick up the pace of these games and still be wildly profitable. They had no problem hiring tons of 3D model artists for XY. They should have not problem expanding further for this. It's way past time.

And again, this is all ignoring the high probability that Pokemon won't be handheld exclusive next gen anyway because ot the unified playform and it's implication of a completely shared library between the handheld and console. I wanted to make this post as an "even without all that, Gamefreak could still make an absolutely massive Pokemon game on the next handheld."

You have a point about Assassin Creed but I'm not sure if we can compare the development cost of an annual, 3D action-adventure game to a massive, open world RPG game.  Wouldn't it be better if we look at games with huge overworlds like Grand Theft Auto, Skyrim, or Xenoblade to guess  how much this game will cost and how long it will take to develop? Just because top-down Pokemon game release every year since Black 2 (localization makes it seem like from Platinum in US) doesn't mean 3D Pokemon games will release just as quick. In fact, of the three Pokemon games that released from 2012-2014, X and Y are the only new ones in the past four years (Black and White was released in Japan in 2010). Black 2 and ORAS borrowed from an existing engine. 

I know the point of your post isn't about a console Pokemon game but I'm going to argue for it anyway. I truly believe that Gamefreak told people they won't make a console Pokemon game for this reason: so their fans won't skip out on the handheld RPGs for a bigger console version. Ever since, fans got used to RPG Pokemon games only appearing in handhelds and Stadium games for home consoles. Now that GameFreak has developed cel shading and 3D polygons for Pokemon, they know their fans are less willingly to believe that Pokemon is better suited on handhelds. Did you know Masuda used to claim that Pokemon's success came from its sprite art? It's only a matter of time before they make a Pokemon 3D game on console that replicates the handheld experience with a bigger 3D world. 

What do you think about Nintendo treating Pokemon like Mario; keeping top-down Pokemon games for traditional fans while developing the new Pokemon 3D game series.

I'd bet money that it costs more money to develop AssCreed than it did to make Xenoblade. It's still open world, even if it isn't as big as some of those other games. Especially Black Flag. The point is that AssCreed is pumped out so frequently because they have a system going. It's a very similar system to what Pokemon has been doing since they started annualizing the franchise, but on a much larger scale. The games still take a long time, but the work load is divided in such a way that different parts of the team work on different games.

And I'm not saying it has to release every year like it does currently; I'm saying that it doesn't have to mean one game every generation. If AssCreed can be released every year (and this year there were two), then a Pokemon game like what I described might be able to be released every two years following the same developement model. Once they've built the engine, they can pick up the pace on newer games.

Honestly, I don't want a new Pokemon game only once a generation like with Mario. The metagame (competitive Pokemon battling) would go stagnant very quickly. I used to be able to wait every two years, and I actually like that now we get one every year. Pokemon is not like Mario and Zelda. They aren't games you just play and put down when you beat it. Pokemon has always been a game that starts once it ends. You beat the story and then the game really gets rolling with competitive battling. If that isn't refreshed regularly, there's a problem. New games help with that, as well as make more Pokemon available that weren't available in the initial region, which is extremely important.

XY seem to imply that Pokemon will start doing half generations. There were much less new Pokemon in that dex then ever before, but there are hints that the next "third" game will be in another new region with the rest of the new gen 6 Pokemon, instead of a remake/sequel like Yellow/Crystal/Emerald/Platinum/B2W2 were. If they can do that on the next generation of Nintendo handhelds, I'll be fine with getting a new Pokemon game, then a remake, then the second half of that generation spaced two years apart if they are the scale that I described.

Yearly releases aren't enough to make it a souless money maker. The only Pokemon game that I felt lacked soul was XY. Aside from one post game mission, it is, by far, the most lifeless Pokemon game I've ever played. Anyone who plays and truly enjoys Pokemon understands what makes them not like COD or AssCreed. The biggest element is the world building, which I will always claim is the best of any gaming franchise around. Not that I could explain that to anyone who would compare it to those games. Unlike COD or AssCreed, I'd argue that Pokemon is better off releasing as often as it does because of the way the franchise develops and builds on itself.

I'm optimistic them not doing it has more to do with them being complete morons than them doing the bare minimum to make a steady profit. I truly think that they honestly believe that Pokemon belongs on handhelds only, and that they are idiots because of it. A remarkable game like I described just was never possible on handhelds until the N3DS, and I'm positive that the next Pokemon game won't be exclusive to it for very obvious reasons. You can tell that they care what they're doing when you play the Looker missions in XY or the Delta Episode in ORAS. They care deeply about these games. They're just a little stupid when it comes to what hardware Pokemon belongs on, and that has limited their scale thus far.

And they haven't been any particular way since Gen 3. If anything, the change happened at B2W2, since that's when the games started getting noticably worse campaign wise. XY was borderline unbearable. ORAS was good, but mostly because RSE where amazing games, and a lot of the story tweeks are worse than the originals, like all of the Team Aqua and Magma redesigns. RSE were amazing. FRLG were amazing. DPPt are the best single Pokemon games of all time. HGSS absolutely demolish the originals and probably tie with DPPt even though their story is lame. BW have the best plot of any Pokemon game with the most well developed characters through out. Then B2W2 was disappointing, but still solid because the elements in the originals were such a good foundation and saved a lot of moments.

There is a reason why I don't like Pokemon is the same thing over and over and over again there are games from Nintendo that people call "rehashes" but the only true rehashes are Pokemon games, I wish Nintendo saw the potential of the franchise, they need to be ambitious like with Zelda. There is so much potential but fans don't want change and Nintendo wants easy money without spending too much. A huge Pokemon were you can travel and see them running free and encounter them that would be cool.

Probably wont do anything amazing till the next big Nintendo handheld. However what if they made an exclusive New 3DS Pokemon game that combined Kalos/Hoenn? It probably wont happen but they run on the same engine and such

"if it ain't broke dont fix it" - But I agree with you.

The Pokemon games are not rehashes.

Yes, the overworld camera does have an impact on Xenoblade. Or to be more exact, it's the combat the one that has an impact on the overworld camera. Trying to hit an enemy on the side or back would suck with a fixed camera angle.

However Pokemon has a turn based combat system that is separated from the overworld so a fixed camera for the overworld don't hurt the game.