Pokémon game news: the studio would like to make more games… without Pokémon!
Published on 02/16/2023 at 07:48
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Game Freak is an institution in the video game landscape and for good reason: we owe it neither more nor less than the Pokémon franchise, one of the most powerful and popular in the entire industry (even pop-culture, period). owned by The Pokémon Game Company. Imagine that the firm has not planned to slow down the pace, but rather to have a little more fun in the future with other games.
Pokemon, again, always, forever
When you create a titan like Pokémon, it’s hard to get by. It must be said that the games are among the bestsellers, simply forming one of the most prolific franchises in the world: in March 2022, no less than 440 million games were declared sold worldwide. Figures that have since swelled with the progression of Legends Pokémon Arceus and Pokémon Scarlet / Purple, the latter having pulverized the charts with 10 million sales in just three days. Simply inimitable.
In short, Game Freak, which is behind this gargantuan success, has every reason to stay in control and its release rate is quite frantic. In two 2022 alone, the Japanese firm has released two opuses! So much so that the studio must also know how to renew itself in this avalanche of orders and, why not, with non-Pokémon games.
Know how to breathe
Recently, Game Freak released Pocket Card Jockey: Ride On! on iOS, an Apple Arcade game that mixes Solitaire card game and horse riding (Yes). Masao Taya is the director and he recently confided in Axios during an interview:
We think it’s very important for the studio to continue creating and releasing titles outside of the Pokémon series. In recent years, the resources required for game development have steadily increased, so Development Department One has tried a style of development where it works with external studios.
This is indeed the case Pocket Card Jockey Ride On, a small game co-developed by Game Freak, but also by Infiniteloop Co. and Pixyda. This outsourcing is justified by the concentration of the studio’s resources on Pokémon games, the frequency of which is released annually and the production of which is becoming more and more expensive.
However, Masao Taya therefore seems to indicate that more non-Pokémon games are expected in the future. Like a breath of fresh air for the Japanese firm? Probably. This will not mean that there will be less Pokémon software – to tell the truth, it is difficult to see how to do without it given the sales figures – but simply that a certain diversification is expected. There should simply be more games coming from Game Freak, in total.
As for Pocket Card Jockey Ride On, Masao Taya confirms that there will indeed be a follow-up, with balances and updates to come. The beginning of a new era ?
About Pokémon Scarlet/Purple
