Pokemon
Pokemon
Pokemon Go Announces Halloween 2024 Event Part 1
Tokoni Uti
It’s October, which means that gaming projects are rolling out their Halloween experiences for fans. Naturally, these have a scary edge to them and try to get fans into the spooky spirit. One of the latest of these comes from Pokemon Go, which has announced its 2024 edition, featuring tons of adventure and even new characters. Pokemon Go’s Halloween event in 2024 will see the debut of Galar rodent creature, …
Pokemon
Game Freak Lead Reveals Pokemon Source Codes, Upcoming Multiplayer Game
Tokoni Uti
As much as gaming studios try to keep certain details of past and future projects under wraps, sometimes leaks happen. When they do, fans get an early taste of what is to come or even unknown facts about projects already launched. Such is the case with a recent leak from Game Freak, the developers of the Pokemon Games. About a terabyte worth of data from the company made its way …
Movies & TV
Pokemon leak suggests potential Detective Pikachu sequel
Syed Mujtaba Naqvi
The Pokemon franchise has been one of the most beloved video game and anime series worldwide for over two decades. Following the success of the 2019 Detective Pikachu movie, fans have long awaited news of a sequel. Recently, a major leak within the Pokémon community may have revealed clues. The leak points to a second Detective Pikachu film, titled The Great Detective Pikachu. While official confirmations are still pending, the …
Pokemon
Pokemon GO November 2024 Community Day dive
Syed Mujtaba Naqvi
Niantic has officially revealed Mankey as the featured Pokémon for the November 2024 Community Day in Pokémon GO. Although Mankey might not be the most thrilling choice at first glance, this event brings a major twist. Primeape and its evolved form, Annihilape, will gain access to the newly introduced charged move, Rage Fist. This addition could significantly shake up Pokémon GO’s current battle landscape, making this Community Day one to …
Pokemon
Mega Mawile joins Pokemon GO in October
Syed Mujtaba Naqvi
In October, Pokemon GO players can look forward to the long-anticipated arrival of Mega Mawile. As part of a special Raid Day event, this Steel and Fairy-type Pokemon will debut in the game, offering exciting opportunities and rewards for trainers. The event promises a variety of bonuses, from free Raid Passes to boosted chances of encountering a shiny Mawile. Related: Shadow Galarian Weezing joins evolution pool in Pokemon GO Firstly, …
Pokemon
Infernape joins Pokemon Scarlet and Violet’s 2024 Tera Raid
Syed Mujtaba Naqvi
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet players are in for a challenge this October 2024! Infernape, the Fire and Fighting-type starter from Generation IV, will headline the latest Seven-Star Tera Raid event. This raid will run in two phases, giving players a chance to battle Infernape and earn exclusive rewards. Infernape will feature a Rock-type Tera form, and with its Hidden Ability, Iron Fist, the battle is expected to be intense. Related: …
News
Shadow Galarian Weezing joins evolution pool in Pokemon GO
Syed Mujtaba Naqvi
Pokemon GO’s latest Legendary Heroes event has introduced an unexpected surprise, sparking excitement within the player community. Though many details were revealed before the event, a hidden feature has given players a unique opportunity to expand their collection. The introduction of Shadow Galarian Weezing has Trainers excited in a frenzy. This development has created new buzz and motivation for players to return to the game. Shadow Galarian Weezing is a …
Pokemon
Pokemon GO: new Dynamax forms for Falinks and Galar starters
Syed Mujtaba Naqvi
Pokemon GO has officially announced the introduction of Dynamax forms for four new Pokémon. Falinks, Scorbunny, Sobble, and Grookey will be getting their Dynamax forms starting on October 1. This addition comes as part of the new season, “Max Out.” Players will now be able to participate in Max Battles, offering a more strategic, turn-based experience in contrast to the usual raid system. Additionally, the upcoming event is expected to …
Pokémon GO bug removes Power Spot Bonus
Syed Mujtaba Naqvi
Pokemon
A recent bug in Pokémon GO has left players unable to receive candy from Power Spots. Candy is a crucial bonus for enhancing Pokémon in Dynamax battles. The issue has made it difficult for trainers to power up their Pokémon, as candy is essential for leveling up Dynamax moves. The bug impacts one of the game’s most important mechanics, preventing players from adequately preparing for Dynamax encounters. Power Spots were …
Palworld developer Pocketpair sued by Pokémon and Nintendo
Syed Mujtaba Naqvi
News
Palworld, an indie game developed by Pocketpair, is getting sued by The Pokémon Company and Nintendo. This legal action follows a similar case where The Pokémon Company won a lawsuit against a Chinese developer for copying character designs in their game Monster Reissue. Now, Pocketpair finds itself in a legal battle over Palworld, a game that some say resembles Pokémon in certain aspects. The lawsuit, filed on September 18, 2024, …
How to get Golden Lure Modules in Pokémon GO
Syed Mujtaba Naqvi
Pokemon
In Pokémon GO, Golden Lure Modules are rare and highly valuable, attracting specific creatures and offering extra rewards. Unlike other Lure Modules, the Golden Lure focuses on attracting a unique Pokémon, Roaming Form Gimmighoul, while also providing Gimmighoul Coins. Here’s how to get and use Golden Lure Modules in Pokémon GO. Regular Lures are quite easy to obtain. They are available in the Shop and can be gained from Research …
Pokémon Scarlet and Violet: Serperior Tera Raid Boss
Syed Mujtaba Naqvi
News
The world of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet is gearing up for an exciting September with the announcement of a new Seven-Star Tera Raid boss, Serperior, the Unrivaled. This means, trainers will have the chance to face off against this regal Grass-type Pokémon during September 2024. This means, Trainers will have ample opportunities to catch this powerful starter Pokémon. As a Seven-Star Tera Raid boss, Serperior is expected to present a …
How to get Passimian and Oranguru in Pokémon GO
Syed Mujtaba Naqvi
News
Passimian and Oranguru are two intriguing Pokémon introduced in Generation 7 of the Pokémon series. Both Pokémon made their debut in Pokémon GO during the Sustainability Week 2022 event. Fortunately, they have since appeared in various in-game events. If you’re eager to add these unique Pokémon to your collection, this guide is all you need to know. Firstly, Oranguru is a dual Normal/Psychic-type Pokémon known for its serene and wise …
Exclusive Pokémon manhole cover at Kyoto’s Nintendo Museum
Syed Mujtaba Naqvi
Pokemon
An exclusive Pokémon-themed manhole cover is set to be revealed at Kyoto’s Nintendo Museum. The unique street décor is a tribute and homage to the massive success and love in fans eyes. This new addition highlights the museum’s commitment to celebrating Nintendo’s rich history and the Pokémon franchise. The Nintendo Museum will not be the only place showcasing these distinctive Pokémon manhole covers. Known as “Poké Lids,” these artistic manhole …
Pokémon GO “Psychic Spectacular” event returns – Hatenna debuts
Syed Mujtaba Naqvi
Pokemon
Pokémon GO has teased the upcoming “Psychic Spectacular” event, set to run from September 18th at 10:00 a.m. to September 22nd at 8:00 p.m. local time. This new event promises to introduce exciting features and Pokémon, including the debut of Hatenna, for trainers to explore. One of the main attractions of the Psychic Spectacular is the introduction of Hatenna, a Psychic-type Pokémon making its debut. Hatenna evolves into Hattrem and …
Mastering the Falinks raids: Counters and tips
Syed Mujtaba Naqvi
Pokemon
Falinks, a Fighting-type Pokémon from the Galar Region, is featured as a 3-Star Raid Boss in Pokémon GO. With a maximum Combat Power of 2665 and stats of 193 ATK, 170 DEF, and 163 STA, it can be a challenging opponent. Here’s how to prepare for and defeat the Falinks raids effectively. Before tackling Falinks, understanding its weaknesses and resistances is important. Using the moves with weaknesses can grant you …
Is Darkrai ready to haunt Pokémon UNITE? Release date revealed
Syed Mujtaba Naqvi
Pokemon
Exciting news for Pokémon UNITE players: Darkrai is set to join the game’s roster soon. The battles are going to turn spookier than Ghosts themselves. Here’s all you need to know about it. Pokémon UNITE is the first strategic team battle game by The Pokémon Company. In this MOBA-style game, teams of five battle to score points on opponents’ goals. Released in July, 2021, the game is available on Nintendo …
How to get Wooloo in Pokémon GO: Can it be Shiny?
Syed Mujtaba Naqvi
Pokemon
Wooloo, the sheep Pokémon introduced in the Galar region, is a fan favorite in among Trainers in Pokémon GO. Whether you’re looking to add this adorable Normal-type Pokémon to your collection, or hunting for its shiny variant, here’s everything you need to know. Niantic is going all out, with the appropriate named GO All Out event. This event is going to showcase a variety of Pokémon from the Galar region, …
Pokémon GO – Two new Shiny Pokémon coming in Max Out
Syed Mujtaba Naqvi
News
Pokémon GO is gearing up for an exciting new chapter with its upcoming Max Out season, bringing two fresh Shiny Pokémon to its augmented reality universe. The anticipation is building as these new Shiny variants prepare to make their debut, adding a splash of new color in the virtual Pokédex . Scheduled to launch alongside the new season at the end of the week, these Shinies are sure to captivate …
Pokémon GO Dynamax arrives – GO Big event
Syed Mujtaba Naqvi
News
Nostalgia returns, as Niantic reveals Pokémon “GO Big” event. The event will be bringing Dynamax and Max Battles into the magical world of Pokémon GO. This is all you need to know. For the first time, trainers will get to experience Dynamax in Pokémon GO. Dynamax was first to introduced in Generation 8, that allowed Pokémon to temporarily grow to enormous sizes during battles, granting them enhanced stats. After the …
Pokemon stands as the largest cross-media IP in the world by a comfortable margin, but how did it make such explosive gains?
For a long while, pivoting a video game franchise into a larger brand seemed impossible. Iconic titles like Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat, and Resident Evil received TV and film adaptations, with the most common result being catastrophic failure. That was the norm from the 1990s all the way into the 2020s; and it probably shouldn’t have been.
While Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li and Silent Hill: Revelation were irredeemably bad, Pokemon showed that a video game series can be adapted into many different mediums. Here’s a quick history of the franchise and its future outlook.
Pokemon explodes with Game Boy games, quickly expands
Pokemon first arrived in Japan in 1996 with the release of Pokemon Red and Green; a pair of titles for the Nintendo Game Boy. The two games were largely identical, but each one had a handful of Pokemon that were exclusive to those titles. This encouraged players to collect and trade these monsters with others who purchased the games.
Later on in 1996, the game was reimagined as a trading card game. Then in 1997, an anime adaptation launched in Japan.
Both of those rapid-fire expansions earned strong success domestically. More importantly, it primed Pokemon for an overwhelming global push.
In 1998, the franchise officially crossed over into North America, Europe, and Australia. The games were killer apps for the Game Boy but it wasn’t just a video game. An accompanying anime aired new episodes daily, and the trading card game exploded out of the gate. This made it difficult to ignore Pokemon to the point where characters like Ash Ketchum and Pikachu were universally recognizable. Just like that, the franchise was unstoppable.
Pokemon expands beyond Nintendo consoles, grows even further
For decades, Pokemon video games were among the top-selling games each year they came out. The Pokemon TCG was one of the biggest in the industry. The anime was a constant, without even mentioning its many spin-off movies. Licensing characters for toys and apparel was a golden goose for all involved.
But the franchise was still positioned to grow further.
Almost all of the games were exclusive to Nintendo’s gaming hardware, but mobile gaming was on a sharp rise of its own. The franchise also released a long list of spin-offs, successfully turning the series into everything from a pinball game to a beat ‘em up. The Pokemon Company had dabbled with PC and mobile games previously, but started actively partnering with other studios in the 2010s.
The biggest example of this was Pokemon GO. The Pokemon Company partnered with AR game studio Niantic was an instant hit, being downloaded hundreds of millions of times. It was far from alone, however. Battling-focused gacha game Pokemon Masters, MOBA adaptation Pokemon Unite, and puzzle game Pokemon Cafe launched in the following years.
It wasn’t just licensed mobile games, though. Games like Detective Pikachu and New Pokemon Snap gave players fresh and varied ways to enjoy the familiar franchise.
Modern Pokémon games see mixed response, but sales remain strong
Though Pokémon has many lifelong fans, the mainline releases have long attracted controversy within the fandom. Though the first few generations were generally beloved, opinions on new and modern games releases vary wildly. Starting with the Nintendo Switch, critical response to the games wavered.
Reviews for Pokémon Let’s Go Pikachu and Let’s Go Eevee were lower than previous entries in the series. That pattern held with Pokémon Sword and Shield, which were also met with extreme backlash on social media.
Though each mainline game made every monster from previous generations available up until Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, this ended with Sword and Shield. Several fan favorites, including Beedrill and the Unovan starters, were made unobtainable in the game. The mega evolution and Z-move battle mechanics were also removed from the games. It’s unclear why or what methodology was used to determine which of the little monsters were left out.
Reviews sank further from there, with Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, then Pokémon Scarlet and Violet garnering the lowest review averages for mainline games.
Despite this, the games were still an enormous commercial success. Pokémon Sword, Shield, Scarlet, and Violet ranked among the best-selling games in franchise history. Its publisher may have heeded some of the fan criticism however, as the company opted against releasing a new mainline game or expansion in 2024. This was the first year without a major game release since 2015.
