Pokemon
Pokemon
April 2023 raid schedule revealed for Pokemon Go
William Davis
Spring has arrived in Pokemon Go. The April content update includes special events, a new raid schedule, and not one, but two Community Days. We now have the full April 2023 raid schedule in Pokemon Go. Pokemon Go Season 10 Rising Heroes is in its second month. During April, the content revolves around the spring season and sustainability. This month, Team Rocket Go is taking a break, and there won’t …
Pokemon
All cat Pokemon in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet
William Davis
Pokemon come in all shapes and sizes. Some are inspired by objects, and others are inspired by real-life animals like cats. If you are interested in adding these felines to your team, these are all the cat Pokemon in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. Cat Pokemon are cute, but they can also be strong and good members of your team. One of the most recognizable cat Pokemon is Meowth, a notorious …
Pokemon
What are the Flying type weaknesses in Pokemon S&V?
William Davis
Understanding the strengths and weaknesses of your Pokemon is a skill that every trainer must possess. These stats are universal and apply to every Pokemon game. If you wish to better understand your Flying type Pokemon in Scarlet and Violet, this guide is for you. In the Pokemon universe, there are 112 Flying type Pokemon, representing 11.03% of all Pokemon and making it the fourth most common type. Pokemon Scarlet …
Pokemon
Rarest Pokémon in Pokémon Go 2023
William Davis
Pokémon Go has over 700 Pokémon on the Pokedex, but not all of them are easy to catch. Some Pokémon are only available for a day, others can only be found during a Raid Battle. Here are the rarest Pokémon in Pokémon Go in 2023. There are different ways to encounter a Pokémon in Pokémon Go — in the wild, hatching an egg, on a Raid Battle, and a Field …
Pokemon
Shiny Galarian Slowpoke featured on Pokemon Go Community day
William Davis
March’s Community Day in Pokemon Go is all about Slowpoke. The regular form of the Pokemon will be featured alongside Galarian Slowpoke, which is debuting its shiny version. In the Pokemon Universe, certain Pokemon have regional variants. One of these Pokemon is Slowpoke and its variant from the Galar region. Both versions are the stars of March’s Community Day in Pokemon Go. On March 18, from 2 pm to 5 …
Pokemon
How to get Mothim in Pokemon Go
William Davis
Pokemon Go has special Pokemon that are not obtainable through regular methods. Some Pokemon require specific conditions to be caught, one of those Pokemon is Mothim. Here is how to get Mothim in Pokemon Go. Mothim is a dual Bug and Flying type from the Sinnoh region. Mothim was released in May of 2019 alongside the Lure Modules. Pokemon Go added the shiny version of Mothim later the same year. …
Pokemon
Everything to know about Hitmontop in Pokémon Go
William Davis
Hitmontop is part of an interesting evolutionary line in Pokemon Go. Here are the different ways to get Hitmontop in the game. Hitmontop is a Fighting type Pokemon from the Johto region. Hitmontop is known for spinning on its head at a fast speed and delivering kicks at the same time. Hitmontop made its Pokémon Go debut in 2017 as part of the main release for the Johto region in …
News
The best Giovanni counters in Pokemon Go
William Davis
Giovanni is the Team Go Rocket, and during Season 10, Rising Heroes, the chances to encounter him are higher. This is a challenge that will put your skills to the test, and we’re here to assist you with the best Giovanni counters in Pokemon Go. Giovanni is the most difficult opponent you can face in Pokemon Go. Getting to him is a big challenge in itself. Before reaching Giovanni, you …
What is the best team for Decidueye Tera Raid Battle?
William Davis
Pokemon
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet revealed Decidueye as the next 7-star Tera Raid Battle boss. It is time to prepare the best team for the Decidueye Tera Raid Battle! There are multiple elements to keep in mind when putting together the best team for the Decidueye Tera Raid Battle. In the party, each Pokemon plays a role. Some serve best as attackers, Pokemon with high damage output. Pokemon could also be …
Decidueye is the next 7-star Tera Raid Battle in Pokemon S&V
William Davis
Pokemon
Decidueye with the Mightiest Mark is the next 7-star Tera Raid Battle in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. Decidueye is the next Pokemon to be featured in the 7-star Tera Raid Battle. This Grass and Ghost dual type is the second evolution of Rowlet, the Grass starter from the Alola region. Like Charizard back in December, Decidueye will carry the Mightiest Mark, meaning that players can only catch it one time. …
Pokemon Ruby vs. Sapphire, which one is best?
William Davis
Pokemon
Pokemon starts each new generation with a dual release. These are two versions of the same game, but with key elements that set them apart. These are the differences between Pokemon Ruby and Pokemon Sapphire. Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire are the first installments of Pokemon’s third generation. The games take place in the Hoenn region and were released in 2003 in North America. The game quickly became one of the …
New Pokemon Show shares premiere date
William Davis
Pokemon
Pokemon revealed more details about the new show and its main characters, Liko and Roy. In December 2022, Pokemon surprised the audience by announcing that Ash Ketchum would no longer be the protagonist of the TV show. The announcement came after Ash fulfilled his dream of becoming a Pokemon World Champion. At the time, Pokemon also revealed Liko and Roy, the two new characters that would take over. Now, we …
Pokemon Go Rising Heroes adds exclusive Pokemon
William Davis
Pokemon
Pokemon Go Season 10 Rising Heroes has arrived. This season will run through June 1, and it brings some exclusive content players don’t want to miss. Pokemon Go Rising Heroes started on March 1. Season 10 of Pokemon Go follows a superhero theme with comic book-inspired graphics. There will be plenty of opportunity for heroic acts, as Team Go Rocket grunts will be spawning more frequently during the event. One …
Everything we know about the Pokémon World Championship 2023
Olivia Richman
Pokemon
The Pokémon World Championship 2023 is coming this summer, and more official information has been dropped. Trainers around the world are preparing for the World Championship 2023, which will have multiple tournaments and a pretty hefty prize pool. From the card game to the video game to Pokémon GO, competitors have been competing in regionals across the country to qualify for Worlds. Here’s everything you need to know about Worlds …
How to download new DLC uniforms for Pokémon Scarlet & Violet
Olivia Richman
Pokemon
Upcoming Pokémon Scarlet & Violet DLC is bringing new uniforms. Here’s how trainers can redeem these new outfits. Pokémon Scarlet & Violet have been a huge hit with the Pokémon community, but there’s been an ongoing complaint about the lack of clothing options. Trainers didn’t have a lot of variation, and players weren’t able to show their unique style. While shoes, bags, and other accessories could be customized, the four …
What to expect from Pokémon Day 2023
William Davis
Pokemon
Pokémon Day is approaching, and here are some of the surprises that might be revealed this year. Pokémon Day is the annual Pokémon celebration. It takes place every February 27 worldwide, and one of the main attractions is Pokémon Presents. This live event is a short broadcast where The Pokémon Company reveals everything there is to come for the year. This is the event where new games and events are …
New Pokemon anime characters include Captain Pikachu
William Davis
Pokemon
Pokemon revealed two new characters from the upcoming animated series. Of course, fans will be happy to know that Pikachu is back, but not how they expected it. In December 2022, Pokemon announced the departure of Ash Ketchum, the main character on the show for the past 25 years. After achieving his dream of becoming World Champion, Ash, and Pikachu are moving on to live adventures off-screen. At the time, …
Best breeding tips for Pokemon Scarlet and Violet
William Davis
Pokemon
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet introduced a new method to breed Pokemon. Here are some breeding tips for Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. In previous games, the breeding of Pokemon was done at the Pokemon Daycare or Nursery. At these locations, trainers dropped their Pokemon for a period of time, and when they returned, they received an egg. In Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, the breeding can take place anywhere you are hosting …
A Pokemon Mystery Dungeon is coming, leaks reveal
William Davis
Pokemon
Internet sleuths believe that a new Pokemon Mystery Dungeon game is in development and will be announced soon. The leaks come from data miners that went through the Pokemon Together website’s code. Pokemon Together is the official name of the 2023 Pokemon Day celebration, taking place on February 27. The website invites players to share their memories about Pokemon using the hashtag #PokemonTogether. Fans believe that Pokemon will host a …
A giant Wailord plush is here for Pokémon Day 2023
Olivia Richman
Pokemon
The Pokémon Company just announced something huge: a Wailord plush. Just in time for Pokémon Day 2023, the Pokémon Company announced a jumbo Wailord plush that’s been anticipated by the ‘mon community. The Wailord plush was initially teased on Twitter on February 13 with a close-up image and the text “s o o n.” It was quite obvious it was Wailord. But nobody was prepared for just how big 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.
