Missed the whole Battle Frontier discussion from a few pages ago, but I want to say this: while I like the Battle Frontiers (and battling in Battle Facilities in general), I do not consider a Battle Frontier to be the most important thing in the series. I think they are fun but not downright necessary. I wouldn't say no to a Frontier appearing again, but I do not downright need it. And, sad as it may sound (and this is probably very unpopular), I feel that Battle Frontiers are a thing of the past nowadays. The last time we got one was in HG/SS, which were released 11-12 years ago. And even so, the Frontier in those games was just copypasted from Platinum, which means it has been 12-13 years since we got a new Frontier.
There has also only been two Battle Frontiers in the entire series, and it never really felt like a staple feature in the series to me. I also remember that in the past, during the Emerald days at least, there were a ton of players who were not interested in the Frontier at all, both casual, hardcore and competitive players. While there were also many like myself who were interested in the Frontier, our interest always felt a bit niche compared to the fandom on the whole. Can't speak for how it was during the Platinum/HG/SS days since I wasn't really active in the fandom back then, but that's what I remember from the Emerald days at least. So, because of that, I can fully understand why GF have chosen to not include a Battle Frontier in the more recent games and generations.
From my five favorite Pokémon games (B/W, B2/W2, X/Y, OR/AS, US/UM), not a single one has a Frontier. In the four latest generations, I have also found myself being satisfied with just the standard Facility and 1-3 extra facilities. So I do not need a Frontier to get the most enjoyment out of a Pokémon game. Spoilers for BD/SP: While I am still unsure about getting SP, the lack of a Frontier does not really matter all that much to me and it is not among the reasons I am unsure about getting the game. But if this had been just a few years ago, I would probably not have gotten the game just because of the lack of a Frontier. Similar to how I didn't get OR/AS upon release because they didn't have a Frontier... but I later got them anyway and had tons of fun with them. The Maison ended up being more than satisfying enough. I have also become more of a casual player lately, so I don't really think I would have the time/interest to play in a Frontier if it were to return.
So that's my view on that. Now, to something else. I have a new possibly unpopular opinion, somewhat related to the above. While I don't need the Battle Frontier to return, there's a similar feature which I have always wanted to return: Black Tower/White Treehollow from B2/W2. Or some sort of spritual successor to them. With the ability to switch betwen them of course, giving you the ability to have both in the same game just like in B2/W2. Don't know if that is unpopular, but it is at least an opinion I don't think I have ever seen posted anywhere before. While I don't really need them to return, just like with the Frontier, I would honestly much rather see the return of some new area similar to them than the return of a Battle Frontier. I have been thinking about Black Tower/White Treehollow a lot lately, as well as gone back to battling in them for a bit, and I have to say that they are two of my favorite areas/places/facilities in the whole series. I also think they are highly underappreciated since they are rarely discussed anywhere. Don't know about anyone else, but that's how I feel.
