Should Game Freak take a break from Pokémon?

[The Outrage]

Now for the current GenVI, it is true that there is no spin-off games yet. But I don't think Game Freak should then increase the development speed for the main series in order to "keep the players' mind fresh with Pokemon". Besides, why GF feel like wanting to take this promotion responsibility where in fact that should be the responsibility of The Pokemon Company to keep the player's mind fresh with Pokemon, by giving license to other game companies such that to provide a variety of different Pokemon games to the players?

Exactly, TPC was formed for that very purpose--so that Game Freak can focus on the games. They have been licensing games, like Art Academy and Pokken, but the former didn't really get any fanfare attached to it and the latter....seems like it will never be released. But either way, GF should not be taking up TPC's mantle and instead should be having a talk with them about releasing more games. If Game Freak wants more involvement in the story process, then that'd be great, maybe we could have gotten Detective Looker instead of Pikachu or a Zinnia-centric game, but we all know that's not happening.

Even ORAS where it was just a remake game, hence having RSE as the foundation so in fact many of the designing process can be abridged, and it was said that it uses the XY game system as foundation so system programming process can also be abridged, yet it still took GF approximately two years to developed (From start of project to the final product).
So there is one doubt from me: Where does Masuda get the guts of saying his Game Freak will able to make a new Pokemon game (not remakes, but a complete new title with no previous title as foundation) in 1 year time? It is just practically impossible for a RPG game on a major gaming console.

I got the impression that they wanted releases one year apart rather than a development time of one year. We know they can juggle development of multiple games, but still--if they're feeling strapped for time, either hire more staff so as to not sacrifice the quality of games or pressure TPC to do its job and get spin-offs released. The only spin-off we know is coming that people seem to remotely care about is Pokken, and that's not coming until the last third of this year (all Pokken announcements have occurred in August), and even then, in arcades at first. I have a feeling this entire generation will pass Pokken by before we get a 3DS/WiiU release.

 

[CrystaI]

Oh, I already forget about the existence of Pokemon Art Academy. But from my personal viewpoint, I can't even called that as a form of...... game.
Unlike all the past spin-off games, Art Academy doesn't have any sort of story. Even Trozei was just a simple puzzle game, it still have a story in order to provide the player a reason to go further into the game. Art Academy is simply just a 3DS painting software providing art lessons for 3-years-old kiddies on how to draw Pokemon. It is not for true veteran artist even the person is a hardcore Pokemon fan.

And about Pokken, it is designed to be a fighting arcade game. So unless it went crazily popular within Japan, it is impossible for it to convert to console game.

So technically speaking, the current GenVI is still has no spin-off games.

 

[The Outrage]

And about Pokken, it is designed to be a fighting arcade game. So unless it went crazily popular within Japan, it is impossible for it to convert to console game.

Evidently, that is why its being released in Arcades first, to gauge fan reactions. With that said, we really can't include Pokkén even if it gets a WiiU release, because its not being released anytime soon if at all (and if we did include arcade releases, we'd include Tretta as well, but we don't).

 

[Silktree]

Tekken games get ported to consoles and TPCi has already released an English trailer for Pokkén, so I wouldn't worry about a localization. But it probably won't happen until late 2016 at the earliest.

 

[DarkMeow]

Well, I do hope they do continue to make Pokémon games! Although they did experience a lull in the franchise around Ruby and Sapphire (I think) they've started to pick up in popularity. Hopefully, they'll improve even more to create better games which will also increase Pokémon's popularity with people.

 

[DarkDragonite]

I sincerely hope that Gen VI sticks around longer than V. It seems to me that GF just needs to slow down a bit with releases and put out a side game or two. I really enjoyed the updates in X and OR, they play like a proper new generation instead of just a 'yearly update.'

 

[WallflowerCanyon]

I have to agree about the whole issue of story-driven games. This is why I like Colosseum, XD, Platinum, B/W/B2/W2, and ORAS so much. It pains me to say that while X/Y introduced a bunch of cool features, the storyline was pretty forgettable unless you were reminded about the Mega Evolution concept of it all. I'm hoping that they are learning from Gen V that what they did was a good thing, and should keep applying new features, elements, and more story-driven plots to future games. ORAS has given me some hope of that, maybe.

 

[DarkDragonite]

I have to agree about the whole issue of story-driven games. This is why I like Colosseum, XD, Platinum, B/W/B2/W2, and ORAS so much. It pains me to say that while X/Y introduced a bunch of cool features, the storyline was pretty forgettable unless you were reminded about the Mega Evolution concept of it all. I'm hoping that they are learning from Gen V that what they did was a good thing, and should keep applying new features, elements, and more story-driven plots to future games. ORAS has given me some hope of that, maybe.

If you look at the Final Fantasy games, the early ones on the NES had very simplistic story lines, but Square Enix improved the writing over time. Pokemon might be on the same path. Black and White had a pretty good story IMO, even if I didn't care too much for a lot of the new Pokemon.

 

[CrystaI]

Don't compare Square Enix to Game Freak, this is just an insult to Square Enix. They are the game company who had clear understanding about their game development strategies and their target audience, they will not draw back and change their direction just because the current game market is shrieking and seeing the other market that was originally not their sector doing better and better, on the opposite, they will try to compensate the loss by doing better than previous every next time. Square Enix are just good in balancing between keeping old customers by developing games that meeting the expectations of old fans, and yet the same time trying putting in new things to draw in new customers into their current sector. They never do something that will severely alienating their old customers.

Just previously when I found out the news about Pokemon Shuffle, my impression of Game Freak starting to shift to smartphone game market seems like becoming reality. Even it is not 100% true, but still the current development trend of Pokemon games is surely lean more towards developing simple-minded games on the same level as smartphone games. That is one thing I dislike to see, because if in case GF had their mind adapted to developing simple-minded games, I don't think they will have the ability again to develop a complicated story-driven RPG game any more.

This is not limited to entertainment industry, but every single business in the world. If a company is not trying to improve, then the only option is degenerate, and then eventually losing in the natural selection of market competition.

 

[Boshi234]

Just previously when I found out the news about Pokemon Shuffle, my impression of Game Freak starting to shift to smartphone game market seems like becoming reality. Even it is not 100% true, but still the current development trend of Pokemon games is surely lean more towards developing simple-minded games on the same level as smartphone games. That is one thing I dislike to see, because if in case GF had their mind adapted to developing simple-minded games, I don't think they will have the ability again to develop a complicated story-driven RPG game any more.

This is not limited to entertainment industry, but every single business in the world. If a company is not trying to improve, then the only option is degenerate, and then eventually losing in the natural selection of market competition.

When I saw Pokémon Shuffle at yesterday's Nintendo Direct, I thought ''Hmm...this game looks pretty darn like Candy Crush'' (btw I don't like Candy Crush) which is extremely bad because the only puzzle games I truly like are Pac-Man and Tetris. And it seems the people at The Pokémon Company, Nintendo, Game Freak or all of them are trying to compete with these brain cell killling ''smart'' phone games.

It seems Nintendo, The Pokémon Company and Game Freak are going into the wrong group of consumers. I just hope that they snap out of this ''phase'' quick before they destroy the entire franchise.

 

[Kallyle]

Don't compare Square Enix to Game Freak, this is just an insult to Square Enix. They are the game company who had clear understanding about their game development strategies and their target audience, they will not draw back and change their direction just because the current game market is shrieking and seeing the other market that was originally not their sector doing better and better, on the opposite, they will try to compensate the loss by doing better than previous every next time. Square Enix are just good in balancing between keeping old customers by developing games that meeting the expectations of old fans, and yet the same time trying putting in new things to draw in new customers into their current sector. They never do something that will severely alienating their old customers.

Just previously when I found out the news about Pokemon Shuffle, my impression of Game Freak starting to shift to smartphone game market seems like becoming reality. Even it is not 100% true, but still the current development trend of Pokemon games is surely lean more towards developing simple-minded games on the same level as smartphone games. That is one thing I dislike to see, because if in case GF had their mind adapted to developing simple-minded games, I don't think they will have the ability again to develop a complicated story-driven RPG game any more.

This is not limited to entertainment industry, but every single business in the world. If a company is not trying to improve, then the only option is degenerate, and then eventually losing in the natural selection of market competition.

I agree that GameFreak doesn't seem interested in doing RPG games anymore, but I personally don't see the problem with Pokémon Shuffle. Lots of people play puzzle games, not to mention that Pokémon Trozei is technically in that category.

Though I do hope that Game Freak snaps out of "we need to convert to the smarphone demographic" and get on the "we need to improve our content so that people will turn away from this smartphone nonsense." Heck, the whole reason I made this thread is because if Game Freak would truly rather develop smarphone games, they shouldn't drag down their only IP franchise down with them.

 

[CrystaI]

It is not that I have problem with the Pokemon Shuffle game itself, but rather I have problem with the current development attitude of GF and trend of The Pokemon Company.

In the past where Pokemon Trozei developed, we also had many other Pokemon games like Ranger and PMD series (more importantly, they are all story-driven games) being developed, so having only one simple-minded puzzle game was not a big problem.

But for the current GenVI, what Pokemon games did we get? Excluding the main series XY and ORAS, Pokemon Art Academy, Pokken, Pokemon Shuffle are all simple-minded games that doesn't require any thinking to play. I just affraid the next one will also be a simple game having the same level as Smartphone games.

 

[lovandra]

Is the shuffle game free? I recalled heard it on the video....

They seems want to sell that kind of Dragon and Puzzle game with Mario and Pokemon franchise.

 

[Morningstar]

Is the shuffle game free? I recalled heard it on the video....

They seems want to sell that kind of Dragon and Puzzle game with Mario and Pokemon franchise.

Puzzle and Dragons* (I know, I played it once)

 

[Silktree]

But for the current GenVI, what Pokemon games did we get? Excluding the main series XY and ORAS, Pokemon Art Academy, Pokken, Pokemon Shuffle are all simple-minded games that doesn't require any thinking to play. I just affraid the next one will also be a simple game having the same level as Smartphone games.

Great Detective Pikachu will definitely be story-driven if the player plays the role of a detective, and it helps that the game will have been in development for two years by the time it is released. The only question is if Pikachu's prevalence will bring down the quality, although a villainous Pikachu should be interesting.

 

[CrystaI]

But for the current GenVI, what Pokemon games did we get? Excluding the main series XY and ORAS, Pokemon Art Academy, Pokken, Pokemon Shuffle are all simple-minded games that doesn't require any thinking to play. I just affraid the next one will also be a simple game having the same level as Smartphone games.

Great Detective Pikachu will definitely be story-driven if the player plays the role of a detective, and it helps that the game will have been in development for two years by the time it is released. The only question is if Pikachu's prevalence will bring down the quality, although a villainous Pikachu should be interesting.

Currently it is only a vapourware. No important information was leaked in any official website of GF nor Nintendo nor The Pokemon Company, we don't even know what game genre this game is.

And for some unknown reason, I don't have good expectation from this game.

 

[Silktree]

Currently it is only a vapourware.

It isn't vaporware. Tsunekazu Ishihara said from the get-go that the game would be released in 2015, and the year has just begun.

 

[Ampharos King]

Most of the games mentioned above - Shuffle, Ranger, Art Academy, etc. - aren't even developed by Game Freak. Game Freak only develops the main series Pokémon games. And even though these "side" games are entertaining to play, in general these titles don't sell nearly as much as the RPG games that define the franchise.

As for the main question posed in this thread, I believe Game Freak should take a break and evaluate exactly where their franchise is going and which markets are still interested in it. As a business, they have a motive to maximize their profits, which entails understanding what their main customers want or need, and then develop a product that can satisfy those needs.

It's not just convenience that their most profitable market is looking for. The most dedicated Pokémon gamers aren't a "casual" audience; they are a "hardcore" audience of people who are willing to invest the time and energy into playing the games. I believe the Game Freak developers should do some of their market research on the Pokémon community forums, including this one, because there is a greater chance of finding people who will (and are able to) buy the games than the casual gamer market in general.

I would not like it if Game Freak develops a new Pokemon title just to satisfy a sales quota from the higher-ups at Nintendo (i.e. make Pokémon into an annual release in the same vein as CoD) without listening to their customers' needs.

I don't care how long it will take for Game Freak to develop a new title, as long as it includes the popular features that people do want, including (but are not limited to) these:
- Walking Pokémon
- An actual Battle Frontier
- Pokémon with uncommon or unused type combinations (i.e. not your usual Normal/Flying or Bug/Flying pokes)
- An Easy Mode and a Challenge Mode (that are unlockable from the start)
- Integrating past regions and characters into the mix
- A Dark-type Gym
- Two versions of the game being radically different from one another aside from Pokémon availability (which ORAS, and to a lesser extent, HGSS and the Gen V games have done)
- Changing TMs from "useless" moves into widely popular moves (i.e. bring back Defog as a TM, make Sucker Punch into a TM or tutor move, etc.)
- Base stat increases for more Pokémon (like it was at the start of Gen VI)

As long as Game Freak accomplishes all of those features, I would be very satisfied with the end product no matter what storyline it entails or what additional features are added.

Tl;dr: Game Freak developers should really get their heads out of the casual market; casual gamers are not their most profitable customer segment. The developers should research what the diehard Pokémon fans want in a Pokémon game, and do their best to include said features. If accomplishing this task requires Game Freak to take a year or two off before they release the next title, by all means they should do so.

 

[jayrachi]

Tl;dr: Game Freak developers should really get their heads out of the casual market; casual gamers are not their most profitable customer segment. The developers should research what the diehard Pokémon fans want in a Pokémon game, and do their best to include said features. If accomplishing this task requires Game Freak to take a year or two off before they release the next title, by all means they should do so.

I am curious as to how you define the casual market. I typically consider casual fans of Pokemon to be folks that play through the main game and may not intend to master it upon defeating the Elite Four or continue with the after game stuff like the Battle Resort. Like children (Pokemon's biggest market).

I agree with most of your post, though. Some of the features you've mentioned have been sought by fans for a long time. But I think Game Freak should balance fan demand with good design, which is something they kind of faltered with in the early game of X/Y, imo. Catering to fans too much may harm the game overall, and I don't want that either. I'm sure that a longer development cycle would help this.

 

[Ampharos King]

I am curious as to how you define the casual market. I typically consider casual fans of Pokemon to be folks that play through the main game and may not intend to master it upon defeating the Elite Four or continue with the after game stuff like the Battle Resort.

That is exactly how I defined it.

Like children (Pokemon's biggest market).

I didn't define the casual market according to age. As we can see in the VGC and similar competitions, there are young children who do play the game on a hardcore level. And there may be some older children, teenagers, and even adults who play "casually" (i.e. parents).

But I think Game Freak should balance fan demand with good design, which is something they kind of faltered with in the early game of X/Y, imo. Catering to fans too much may harm the game overall, and I don't want that either. I'm sure that a longer development cycle would help this.

True, but ignoring what fans do want in a future installment doesn't make good business sense either. Game Freak should include features that the majority of the hardcore audience wants, in addition to new and innovative features.

But it seems Game Freak is trying to pull a "simple" approach with the Pokémon series when Gen VII comes out. Hopefully their definition of "simple" doesn't mean undercutting desirable features from past installments, or even changing the entire schematic (i.e. IVs, EVs, natures) that have defined the series since at least the start of Gen 3.