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The Pokémon Company Describes 2013 as a "Key Year" for the Franchise

Posted by Thomas Whitehead

Big plans to take the series further

The Pokémon franchise is, without a doubt, a vital part of Nintendo's success, especially in the handheld space, with a new generation 'mon release prompting hype and excitement that's only seen for select brands. It's big in both Japan and the West, and an iconic part of the gaming industry.

It's not from resting on its laurels that it's achieved this level of success, however, and The Pokémon Company has been speaking to MCV to emphasize that this is a significant year for the whole franchise, though the focal point will inevitably be Pokemon X & Y on 3DS. The much anticipated title will arrive worldwide in October — the first co-ordinated release of that nature of a main-series title — and there are other games, TV shows and films on the way. The Pokémon Company International’s marketing director Anthony Cornish didn't try to be understated in the ambitions for the series this year.



Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Gates to Infinity also arrives in Europe in May, having already landed in North America. Perhaps a more intriguing comment from Cornish was that the company has ‘cleared the decks’ with licensing, with toys set to be the same throughout regions. Though Pokémon Scramble U is yet to be confirmed for a release outside of Japan, we expect that toy availability worldwide could naturally include the NFC figures that'll be sold alongside the Wii U eShop title; it's not likely that the company would pass up the chance to localise the title and sell the NFC toys, potentially making a fair bit of money in the process.

With X & Y being joined by other games and media, what do you think Pokémon fans? Will this be a memorable year and the start of a "new era" for the franchise? Let us know what you think in the comments below.


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User Comments (41)



Hysterical said:

Releasing a Ranger game would make the year even better, but I'm happy with what we're getting.



Geonjaha said:

Nope. I'm even less interested for these games than I was for Black and White 2 - and that's saying something. The latest Pokémon Mystery Dungeon basically ruined what it had going on so far as well - it just shows that you can suddenly put all the effort into great new graphics for a game, but that doesn't make it better. Now please excuse me, I'm going to go replay Explorers of Sky.



rjejr said:

Pokemon makes me happy when I think about all the other things my kids could be interested in, like FPS or those horrid Cartoon Network shows.

Bring it on. I'm interested in seeing if there is a breaking point for Pokemon. There are so many Black and White related toys and cards and movies and the tv show will people suffer from burn out or is a new series just what it needs?



MrWalkieTalkie said:

Well with a new Mew-Like Pokemon and a possible new type for Sylveon it seems obvious that big changes are gonna go down!



Buzzthebatgirl said:

When I start seeing Pokedolls and nonkiddie Pokemon clothes available in Europe I'll believe what TPCi has to say. Their current offering of "Official Pokemon Magazine" is a disgrace to Pokemon fans.



bizcuthammer said:

Pokemon X and Y are going to cause a big spike in 3DS sales this holiday. I know several people who buy handhelds only for pokemon games, and who are planning to pick up a copy of X or Y (or both in some cases) with a 3DSXL at launch.



TheEmerlLad said:

So far so good. As long as you take the nostalgia glasses and take the moment to appreciate what they are doing in terms of giving all gens some love. From Sylveon to Newtwo it seems that they are revealing pokemon corresponding to gen order. Can't wait to see some 3rd gen!

Beyond that, as far as the graphics go, I'm not one two complain. Aliasing is up the whim wham but your putting over 600+ pokemon with each individual animation sets. They are putting a lot of time and effort into this new generation and I'm sure they'll be successful. The majority of us older folks really have to stop being ignorant and embrace it with a more open mind.



darkgamer001 said:

Look as much as I want the R/S/E remakes that everyone drones on about, I understand why they're releasing X and Y first. Would you want the R/S/E remakes to be outdated after a few years? Or completely compatible with the new pokemon too?



jacksayspurple said:

I cannot wait for X and Y! A lot of people are complaining because there'll be over 700 Pokemon to catch and all that jazz, but I couldn't be more excited! For me, the best part of Pokemon isn't the battles, I just love collecting every single one! I'm currently trying to complete my Pokedex on White 2! I would love it if X and Y had the capacity to allow you to be able to catch every single Pokemon ever from within the game, so you wouldn't have to Poke-Transfer and whatnot!



LordessMeep said:

Given that this is the first time NA and EU regions will be getting a mainline Pokemon game simultaneously AND that they're moving on to the next generation, it is a pretty important time for the franchise. They're moving on to 3D models, may be even open world exploration, and it's crucial for them to make the game so that it appeals to the older fans and new ones alike.

I can't help but wish for multiple save files all the same. I want to play an entirely new game without deleting my older pokes, damn it! T^T



LeVideoGamer said:

I need to buy a 3DS XL for this game. Looks really good so far, and I can't wait to play it. I just hope that we'll be able to customise our characters.

I don't get the big deal about the R/S/E remakes. We're getting completely new games, and people are moaning because they can't replay the same game on a different console. Can somebody explain this to me?



HeatBombastic said:

@Intrepid Colosseum 3 WOULDN'T be cool. Ugh, Colosseum has gotten underrated to overrated just because of Chugga.

1. They would have to make it significantly different, or keep an incentive for the player to buy the main series. XD and Colosseum used Shadow Pokemon and Double battles, and you can't get Pokemon just about anywhere.

2. Putting this, or putting the main series on Wii U would obviously seem like a cash-in for us to buy Wii U's, and their reputation would go down.

3. The series is done, same with Metroid Prime. Stop crying over it.

4. The freakin price. Colosseum was a short fun game, that was somewhat unique. However, it had nowhere as much as quality and quantity as the main series. Why buy a $40-60 dollar game when you can buy X & Y? Even if they made the game several hours longer, it would just get tedious and boring. Why? Because the Colosseum series doesn't have the same charm as main series. Even if they made an e-shop game, they'd still need to hire Treasure.



SCAR said:

I would consider myself a Pokemon veteran. I was playing and watching Pokemon 14 years ago. To be honest, I kind of gave up on the series since Ruby and Saphire, but if Nintendo can draw me back to these games, I wouldn't be ashamed to be a 21 year old Pokemon fan.
They've added more to the game throughout the series no doubt, but those weren't big enough changes to really draw me in.



BetweenTheTrees said:

this will be epic. sick of people complaining about x/y
don't buy it if you don't want it. the rest of us do. just wish it was october



Royalblues said:

New era? Begin by giving us full control of what our characters look like.
Then stat allocation upon leveling up!
I guess the second request would be too much, huh?
But on the real, let's have customization.



Arcamenel said:

I've been playing Pokemon since I was 9 and I'm 23 now. I'm in it for the long haul obviously so of course I'm excited for X and Y. The 3DS offers so many possibilities for the franchise, I'm especially interested to know how they'll utilize the streetpass and spotpass features.



Captain_Balko said:

@TheEmerlLad Evee was first gen and so was Mew and Mewtwo. I'm not sure what you mean by your comment about revealing pokemon corresponding to gen order.




Hetsumani said:

Pokemon Stadium U, Pokebattles on the big screen with the pokemon we train on the go. That would be awesome.




I plan on getting Pokemon X or Y either way, but I really hope they change a lot of stuff up this time around. I'd like to see them shake what normally makes a Pokemon game. Like changing the usual water/ grass/ fire trio of starters to another trio. Maybe flying/ electric/ rock as a change? I'd also like to see them break the usual eight gyms then elite four trend. Maybe three districts on the map with three gyms and one champion for each district AND you can do each district in any order? Maybe make the game more story driven? Like going through the back story of one of the professors when THEY were a kid? I dunno, just something ya know?



Intrepid said:

@HeatBombastic Don't lump me with people who beg for colosseum because of Chuggaaconroy. I liked it very much and beat both long before he decided to Let's Play it. Am I not allowed to ask for it just because Chuggaa happened to have played it at the same time?

1. They could still have shadow Pokemon, but with a completely different story. It could have more elements from the main series as well, such as Unova and Sinnoh pokemon, and be more interactive with the handheld games. Having a limited selection of pokemon helped me to make use of resource management and make do with what I had, making the game much more strategic, IMO.

2. Just because they make it for the WiiU does not make it a cash in. I don't know where you got that idea from. And how would it ruin Nintendo's reputation?

3. No one is crying about it. Do I look sad?

4. I don't see why the price should matter. Those who liked the previous two would buy this one as well. And Colossuem has a pretty long aftergame. It has plenty of content to make people happy. And whether the game had charm or not is your personal opinion. I happened to like it for what it was; not compare it to the handheld games.



Royalblues said:

It would be awesome if Yveltal was a Flying/Dark type. And if Xerneras is some crazy type like Rock or something, that would be awesome as fudge!
I would just be glad to learn that none of them are Dragon-type.



Zombie_Barioth said:

I've been a fan and enjoyed this series probably since it was released, kinda scary when I think about it that Pokemon is almost as old as I am. I though I was getting bored with it but the recent games have proved me wrong and I'm really excited to see where the series is headed.

@Intrepid Definitely have to agree with you on the shadow Pokemon games, they're easily my favorite and most played in the series and its because of the unique twists and "limitations" they bring. I found them more challenging and really enjoy trying different ways to beat them just like people have been doing in the main series with nuzlocke or other challenges.

Colosseum did well enough to warrant a sequel so I imagine a third game would do well enough especially after such a long time, and so many other spin-offs that have apparently done well too.



DarkKirby said:

Nintendo could release Ruby/Sapphire for DS and they would still break sales records. I'm glad they are making it 3D, although I doubt they have they guts to really improve the combat system, which basically has been the same since the 1st game.



Onett said:

@DarkKirby Exactly. At its core the game is going to be the exact same with 3D and some possible stat balances (I hope.) I'd like to see GameFreak try something different aside from the turn based RPG engine.



Zombie_Barioth said:

@Onett I think thats what the spin-offs are for, that way they can experiment with the gameplay without screwing up the existing formula or alienating fans of the main games.

They're not made by Game Freak but Game Freak and the Pokemon company works closely with them.

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