Why Hoenn now?

[S-connoisseurCilanXZ]

Is anyone wondering why Gamefreak has decided to reveal these games now without even so much as a hint before hand? It is odd that they are being revealed only 8 months after generation VI was launched and a full year before any major games should really have started to show up since there is usually a 2 year gap between the initial pair in a generation and the next big release. Is there a reason they released it so son?

 

[Silktree]

Something similar happened with FRLG, which were released 14 months after Ruby and Sapphire. In the same year, Emerald was also released, and the DS followed suit. The gap between FRLG and Emerald was only 8 months, and the most likely reason for that was Nintendo wanting Game Freak to wrap up their GBA games before the DS' launch.

The 3DS' successor will probably be out by early 2016, if not Christmas 2015. The remakes being released in 2014 makes it possible for Game Freak to release the last Generation VI game next year.

 

[Jun]

The 8 month gap doesn't mean anything because if XY wasn't launched worldwide, Japan would get it some months before (I'm speculating June 2013), and 13 month between 2 games isn't really short.
Hoenn is simply loved by many fans, so those games will print money, that's sure.
There's only 70 Pokemon in the sixth generation so the promotion won't last long, Ken Sugimori was talking about the seventh generation some month ago (I read it in that forum) so I think the seventh generation will be out in 2016-2017. Because I think that in 2016 we will get a 20th anniversary game. I guess we won't get a third version or sequels of Kalos, because the seventh generation will feature the mysterious region associated with the strange souvenir, and Kalos will serve as post-game.

 

[hopeandjoy]

Most likely Nintendo wanted Game Freak to get games onto the 3DS, so they decided to develop ORAS for the 3DS and release XY instead of adding more onto Gen V and the outdated DS.

 

[Silktree]

The 8 month gap doesn't mean anything because if XY wasn't launched worldwide, Japan would get it some months before (I'm speculating June 2013), and 13 month between 2 games isn't really short.

Using that logic, ORAS would be released earlier if it weren't for the worldwide release. It doesn't make a difference.

You could argue that there have been annual releases outside Japan ever since 2009 and this might be something they want to keep going.

There's only 70 Pokemon in the sixth generation so the promotion won't last long, Ken Sugimori was talking about the seventh generation some month ago (I read it in that forum) so I think the seventh generation will be out in 2016-2017. Because I think that in 2016 we will get a 20th anniversary game. I guess we won't get a third version or sequels of Kalos, because the seventh generation will feature the mysterious region associated with the strange souvenir, and Kalos will serve as post-game.

I doubt that the Strange Souvenir is foreshadowing the next generation. The references just serve no purpose if the region isn't relevant to Generation VI. We also know that the region is far from Kalos, so I don't see them being incorporated into the same games.

Most likely Nintendo wanted Game Freak to get games onto the 3DS, so they decided to develop ORAS for the 3DS instead.

This thread isn't about the decision not to remake the games during Generation V.

 

[Norzan]

Because Hoenn is awesome?

 

[Lufenium]

Y not? Wynaut?

*party congas out*

 

[Proxima Centauri B]

I figure they just wanted to get the remakes out asap and then continue work and focus on the next Gen 6 game(s?)(which may or may not have the new region the hiker was referring to but I think they're definately on to something with that meaning we may be getting something a bit different). That way, they make a good profit while working on the next game(s).

 

[hopeandjoy]

Most likely Nintendo wanted Game Freak to get games onto the 3DS, so they decided to develop ORAS for the 3DS instead.

This thread isn't about the decision not to remake the games during Generation V.

No, but I'm answering why it's now. Most likely they already wanted to but moved it back to get it on the 3DS.

 

[Silktree]

No, but I'm answering why it's now. Most likely they already wanted to but moved it back to get it on the 3DS.

I don't see what is so likely about it. They started working on XY in late 2010 and it would have been foolish to delay their release for DS remakes. I don't think that Nintendo had to tell them that much.

 

[S-connoisseurCilanXZ]

The 8 month gap doesn't mean anything because if XY wasn't launched worldwide, Japan would get it some months before (I'm speculating June 2013), and 13 month between 2 games isn't really short.
Hoenn is simply loved by many fans, so those games will print money, that's sure.
There's only 70 Pokemon in the sixth generation so the promotion won't last long, Ken Sugimori was talking about the seventh generation some month ago (I read it in that forum) so I think the seventh generation will be out in 2016-2017. Because I think that in 2016 we will get a 20th anniversary game. I guess we won't get a third version or sequels of Kalos, because the seventh generation will feature the mysterious region associated with the strange souvenir, and Kalos will serve as post-game.

These games actually were not as popular as their predecessors or their successors and lost the company a bit of money although that was likely the fault of that unpopular failure of a console that they had the misfortune to be released on. They were still popular yes, and actually were among the best selling games on the Gameboy Advanced (ridiculous name in hindsight).

Usually, the next major release does not come until after 2 years have passed since the intial pair finally hit stores, this is presumably done for the purpose of business so that the first release does not suffer loss of sales because people are saving up for a improved or new game just around the corner.

My own personal theory is similar to what some of the other members have said already but I don't think they are doing this so they can rush generation VI, isn't that why generation V started so quickly because they had rushed generation IV and had no time to put the new games on the 3DS? I suspect that they are trying to release as many big games in short span of time as possible in order to help promote 3DS sales, this means that we could potentially see a lot of main series release this generation. The fact that they are already talking about the next generation of Pokémon makes me wonder though.

 

[Lise]

I think it may have something to do with the games only being available on gameboy advance, which makes them not so accesible for new players of the pokemon franchise but if we follow that Line of thought, fire red and leaf green are up for a remake too though the kanto region is available in soulsilver and heartgold, but of course not in the same way but anyway, thats just my theory

 

[EvilChameleon]

Because I started watching the Hoenn episodes of the anime all over again just a week or two before the announcement?

 

[Hidden Mew]

It's probably because they knew that there was a demand for R/S remakes and by releasing them, they would have more time to work on any other new games for the sixth generation. While it still takes quite a bit of work, I imagine that remaking an older generation is easier to manage than making a new game from scratch.

 

[S-connoisseurCilanXZ]

It's probably because they knew that there was a demand for R/S remakes and by releasing them, they would have more time to work on any other new games for the sixth generation. While it still takes quite a bit of work, I imagine that remaking an older generation is easier to manage than making a new game from scratch.

I doubt the demand was that large considering that the only people other then Nintendo who really should have been aware of the existence of generation Three likely represented at best maybe 10% of the fan-base with the majority of fans being people who either don't search the internet or were not even born when the originals came out (or both). Most of the fanbase now consists of 6- 13 year olds who likely never even heard of these games.

 

[KyseL]

It seems like every remake gets released about 1 year after a main series game (HGSS were released in September, 2009 while Platinum was released in September, 2008; FRLG were released in late January, 2004 while Ruby and Sapphire were released in late November, 2002).

 

[Phoenixon]

It seems like every remake gets released about 1 year after a main series game (HGSS were released in September, 2009 while Platinum was released in September, 2008; FRLG were released in late January, 2004 while Ruby and Sapphire were released in late November, 2002).

Fixed that for you.

 

[Bolt Strike]

I think Game Freak may have been pressured to release them earlier because of Nintendo's financial troubles, combined with a high demand for RS remakes.

 

[MizuTaipu]

The internal battery drying out (making Shoal Cave useless and making it impossible to get Espeon and Umbreon) is also a factor as well.

 

[firepanda]

I think Game Freak may have been pressured to release them earlier because of Nintendo's financial troubles, combined with a high demand for RS remakes.

Yeah, that's my biggest worry. I plan to play this game for a good while, so I really want to be as awesome as possible. A rushed development cycle ruins games. I definitely hope they don't end up cutting features from RSE, such as secret bases or contests.