2025 Mar 14, 13:17
After a year of disappointing titles, the Pokemon franchise is set to return to its roots in 2024. Despite the criticism, the series continues to be a financial success, so The Pokemon Company may not be too concerned about online reception. The games, such as Pokemon Scarlet & Violet, have sold incredibly well, despite their flaws. No new games have been announced for 2024 yet, but it is expected that new games will be released soon. Hopefully, the lessons learned from 2023 will be applied to these new games. In 2023, the new Pokemon releases faced several issues
Pokemon Scarlet & Violet launched in a poor state and still have not been fully fixed. The DLC updates for the game fell short of expectations and did not offer much new content. Outside of the mainline games, Detective Pikachu Returns and Pokemon Sleep were also underwhelming and quickly lost fan interest. One of the main problems with the Pokemon series in 2023 is that the franchise is not ready for the open-world style. The mainline games have attempted to create vast worlds but have fallen short. The aging Nintendo Switch hardware and the tight development schedule have limited the scope of the games. Pokemon Sleep and the Detective Pikachu spin-offs also failed to engage fans and did not deliver on their promises. To revitalize the franchise, Pokemon needs to go back to its roots
This could involve returning to the classic JRPG style and focusing on smaller settings. The Gen 5 remakes or Let’s Go games set in the Johto region could be good options. It would also be beneficial to reverse some of the recent quality of life changes and listen to fan feedback. A retro-style Pokemon game with a more challenging experience could be welcomed by old-school fans. While the franchise should continue to experiment with new ideas, it is crucial not to lose sight of its identity and recognize its limitations. The Pokemon Company needs to win back the fans alienated by Gen 9 and consider the potential of future console upgrades for a truly impressive open-world adventure.