Pokemon
Pokemon
Pokémon officially confirms the future of Ash Ketchum
Olivia Richman
Pokemon fans have been speculating the future of the anime and its main protagonist Ash Ketchum after the wannabe Pokemon master became a Pokemon Champion. The bittersweet moment had the community concerned about what Ash Ketchum would do next, if anything. Would he be leaving the long-running anime? Would the anime be canceled? After a month of wondering, the Pokemon community has an official update. YouTuber ThePokeRaf had a lot …
Pokemon
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet adds Ranked Battles
William Davis
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet announced the ranked battles Series 1, an opportunity for players to compete and become Pokemon Masters. Two weeks into its release, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet announced the introduction of ranked battles. This competitive global series will see trainers battling to become the first Pokemon Master in Paldea. The ranked battles are available now and will remain open until January 31, 2023. Like a regular ranked system, …
Pokemon
Pokemon D&D games don’t exist, here’s why
William Davis
Pokemon is one of the most popular franchises in the world, with over 100 games in different genres. Considering how massive the franchise is, it is surprising that there isn’t an official Pokemon D&D manual or campaign. The popularity of tabletop games is increasing every year, reaching mainstream media. In 2023, Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves will premiere, starring Chris Pine. Pokemon and D&D enthusiasts have been trying for …
Pokemon
The easiest Gym Leader order in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet
William Davis
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet allows players to explore Paldea on their terms and go through the Gym Leaders at their own pace. While there is no official order, this is the easiest Gym Leader order in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. Paldea is an open world with three storylines for players to choose from. One of the options is the Victory Road path. It is the classic story of a young …
Pokemon
Between Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, which one is better?
William Davis
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet is one of the biggest releases of 2022 with millions of copies sold worldwide. While they’re both the same core game, each version has traits that set them apart, leaving players wondering, is Scarlet or Violet better? Pokemon Scarlet and Violet is the first installment in the ninth generation. This time, the Pokemon Company is changing things up by making the game an open world and …
Pokemon
Best path to choose in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet
William Davis
For the first time, a Pokemon game features three different paths for players to explore. In Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, players can choose how to explore Paldea. It might be overwhelming at first, but here is everything you need to know to choose your path. Pokemon Scarlet and Violet can be overwhelming even for veteran players. With so many options, it’s hard to know which one is the best one …
Pokemon
How to earn rewards from classes in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet
William Davis
Attending classes in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet is completely optional but there are some good reasons why you should attend. Long gone are the days where Pokemon trainers were just young people running around, trying to become Pokemon Masters. In Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, players are actual students from the Naranja or Uva Academy, depending on which version of the game they pick. Students can choose to leave and explore …
Pokemon
What does Cheugy mean in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet?
William Davis
Players were surprised to find some modern slang like “cheugy” Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. Director Clavell, principal at the Naranja/Uva Academy wants to keep up with current times, but he needs help understanding what “cheugy” means. In Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, players are students at the Naranja/Uva Academy. As part of the institution, students attend classes and interact with faculty like Director Clavell. During one of the interactions with the …
Here’s how to evolve Inkay in Pokemon Go
William Davis
Pokemon
Pokemon GO has some exciting techniques to evolve Pokemon. Sometimes, you must take your Pokemon on an adventure, other times, you can only evolve them during a specific time of the day. If you are wondering how to evolve Inkay in Pokemon GO, look no further. Inkay is a squid-like Pokemon from the Kalos region that first appeared in Pokemon X and Y. Despite being based on a squid, Inkay …
How to evolve Gimmighoul in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet
William Davis
Pokemon
Pokémon Scarlet and Violet was released on November 18 and players got an answer to the burning question, how to evolve Gimmighoul. Gimmighoul initially showed up for the first time in Pokémon Go in its Roaming Form. This little Pokémon followed players around until it was revealed that it was from the Paldea region. In Pokémon Go, some Poke Stops turned golden and would grant a mysterious coin to players. …
The best way to find shiny Pokémon in Scarlet and Violet
William Davis
Pokemon
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet is now available around the world and players are already sharing the tricks and tips to find shiny Pokémon. Hunting for shiny Pokemon is one of those unwritten side quests that Pokemon players like to take on. A shiny Pokemon is the same Pokemon but with different colors. The stats and moves don’t change, so shiny Pokemon are not stronger than the regular version. According to …
Everything we know about Legendary Pokemon in Scarlet and Violet
William Davis
Pokemon
There are some differences between Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, the most important, the legendary Pokemon from each version. The legendary Pokemon in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet was one of the first pieces of information players received ahead of the release. Koraidon is legendary for the Scarlet version, while Miraidon corresponds to Violet. These Pokemon are on the cover of the games and are distinguishable from each other because, well, one …
Pokémon Scarlet and Violet open world explained
William Davis
Pokemon
Pokémon Scarlet and Violet is the first game to be open world. For many fans of the franchise, this might be a confusing concept, here is the Pokémon Scarlet and Violet open world explained. An open world is defined as “a virtual world in which the player can approach objectives freely, as opposed to a world with more linear and structured gameplay.” Think of games like Grand Theft Auto, Elden …
The Pokemon Trading Card Game Live is available now
William Davis
Pokemon
The Pokemon Trading Card Game Live Beta is now available to players around the world on mobile and PC. The Pokemon Trading Card Game is a fundamental part of the Pokemon universe with millions of players and collectors around the world. In recent years, finding rare Pokemon cards has become a genre of its own for content creators. Now, players can take their collections online and compete in the Pokemon …
Is Ash Ketchum leaving the anime after 25 years of Pokémon?
Olivia Richman
Pokemon
When Ash Ketchum finally became a World Champion, Pokemon anime fans had plenty to celebrate. But after the long-awaited moment finally happened, Pokemon fans realized that this may mean Ash Ketchum’s journey is finally over after following him for 25 years. The very first episode of Pokemon aired back in 1997, showing Ash getting his Pikachu and starting out his adventure from Pallet Town. Then on November 11, 2022, Ash …
What is the preorder bonus for Pokemon Scarlet and Violet?
William Davis
Pokemon
The release of Pokemon Scarlet and Violet is around the corner, but there is still time to secure the flashy preorder bonus. Pokemon Scarlet and Violet is the first installment of the ninth generation. The game takes place in the Paldea region, where players will get to explore like never before. From the open world map to the non-linear storyline, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are innovating the standard Pokemon formula. …
Version exclusive Pokemon available on Scarlet and Violet co-op
William Davis
Pokemon
Ahead of the release of Pokemon Scarlet and Violet on November 18, it’s been confirmed that players can catch exclusive Pokemon from the other version through co-op. Exclusive Pokemon is one of the main differences between Pokemon Scarlet and Pokemon Violet. Depending on what version players choose, they will get specific Pokemon, meaning that players cannot complete the Pokedex. Unless they play with a friend that owns the other version …
Is Ash Ketchum finally a Pokémon master?
William Davis
Pokemon
Ash Ketchum is officially the number one Pokémon trainer, after becoming the Pokémon World Champion in the Pokémon World Coronation Series. In 1997, Ash Ketchum, a 10-year-old from Pallet Town in the Kanto Region, embarked on a journey to become a Pokémon Master. Twenty five years later, Ash achieved his dream at the Pokémon World Coronation Series when he defeated Leon for the title of World Champion. https://twitter.com/Pokemon/status/1591015158016446464?s=20&t=F61Z-5SViyc2Q0d7nIcW0g The Pokémon …
Players unhappy with Gimmighoul design, calling it lazy
William Davis
Pokemon
The Pokémon community is divided about Gimmighoul’s design. While some players like it, others are calling it “lazy.” Gimmighoul is the first Pokémon from the Paldea region to appear in Pokémon Go. Ahead of the release of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, Gimmighoul debuted in the mobile game, leaving players with some questions and complaints. The complaints come from Gimmighoul’s design. This Pokémon is a small gray guy that has …
Pokemon Home to ban players with illegal data
William Davis
Pokemon
The Pokémon Company is banning players that have traded illegitimately modified Pokémon through Pokémon Home. Pokémon is cracking down on players that are abusing the trading feature, announcing its plans to ban players on a regular basis. Players that have any kind of illegitimately modified data in Pokémon Home will be banned from Pokémon Home and lose access to the trading features. On top of that, players will also lose …
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.
