With Pokémon GO dominating gaming news over the past several weeks, and with Pokémon Sun and Moon looming its head around the corner, it's truly an exciting time to be a Pokémon fan. Assuming you are one and can't wait until the series' next instalments in November, Pokémon GO may be that experience to keep your inner-Pokéfanatic content – though this is debatable.
We've already discussed our expectations of the future of Pokémon GO and this writer, like many, assumes the critters of Johto (Generation II) are likely to make their appearance within the almighty app in the first major content update. But what if Niantic and co thought a little outside the box? This writer believes that it could be a smart move for Niantic to skip the remaining generations for now, and introduce the wonderful new monsters of the Alola region – the new Pokémon in the upcoming Sun and Moon games.
Why, you ask? Well, here's one reason, and arguably the most important. Doing this is likely to create tremendous build-up towards Sun and Moon (assuming the update arrives before November). It's likely to get both veterans and casual players interested (if not already) in the new games. The concept of a game generating promotion for another is something that's not often done, and this could perhaps be a first for the Pokémon franchise.
Even if the update was to launch after the Sun and Moon release, it could still be an effective move to generate higher sales for the November games. There could perhaps, as confirmed by the powers that be, be greater tie-in opportunities between the app and games themselves. While it depends on the player, the obvious drawback would be spoiling the surprise of encountering the new set of monsters before experiencing the new games - again, something that's never been done before if you don't count magazine/online leaks etc.
With that said, however, it's nice to think about the possibility of old-school Pokéfans uniting with newbie Trainers to catch this new set of critters for the first time. Currently veterans of the series already know the ins and outs of at least the first Gen of creatures, thus giving them an immediate advantage in their quest to catch 'em all and dominate the competition. However, a new Gen of Pokémon presenting itself to everyone without much knowledge about them would mean a shared new experience for veterans, casuals, and everyone in-between. All kinds of players can explore these new Pokémon together - it'd be a unique experience for everyone.
What do you think of this idea? Would you like to see the next Pokémon GO update take advantage of the opportunity of focusing on Generation VII due to Sun and Moon's upcoming release, or do you think going by chronology is the best way to go? Sound-off in the usual spot!
Comments (49)
Hmmm interesting point, but I still think Gen 2 would have a higher impact due to nostalgia
I agree with TMG44, they should add generation two first, because people are more likely to be nostalgic about them. I know I would be if you shove the new Pokémon on the application first, people might be like ''dafuq is this teddybear thing??''
I think I disagree. A huge part of Pokémon Go's mass appeal right now is the Pokémon included are the ones almost everyone recognises. If we can assume that player drop-off over time somewhat correlates with their familiarity with Pokémon (people who only really remember gen 1 stop playing first, then gen 2, and so on), then adding the gens in order makes more sense in the long term for player retention than attempting to turn it into more of a marketing platform for Sun & Moon.
I think Gen 2 would make the most sense, maybe have each Unown letter as it's own entry so to get 100% completion you need 28 different Unown.
It wouldn't be smart to jump to seven because it is so new. It'd take away from the audience who wants to discover the new pokemon in the main series. Considering how Gen VII is so close anyways, and the fact we have five generations in between, by the time we let some air breathe on the new game, only then we can have gen 7.
Eh. Adding Gen VII Pokémon could potentially cannibalize Gen VII itself. New Pokémon are among the main reasons people are buying the games. Plus, adding Gen II Pokémon could tie to the eventual release of Gen II on the 3DS Virtual Console, which could come even sooner than Sun and Moon.
Hm, some interesting points here. Gen II is by far my favourite Gen, but I think a bit of patience with it for the launch of Gen VII could go a long way!
Not all of the sun and moon pokemon are revealed yet so it would be bad.
I don't want every new pokemon spoiled prior to launch.
I think they should go with Generation 2 BUT also add the generation 7 Aloha updates of Gen 1 characters (i.e. The new Sandshrew, Vulpix, etc.). This would hold the attention of existing fans who want Gen 2 while giving a taste of Sun and Moon, ultimately making it a tantalizing sneak peek of Gen 7 for lapsed fans of the main Pokemon series. The best of both worlds. Just a thought.
Honestly, I'd hate it if they were added to GO before and even weeks after the release of Sun & Moon. Not only are the new Pokemon a main reason many players, myself included, are buying these games and I despise the thought of seeing a Pokemon I have never seen before on some app and not in their home games, their home region. In my eyes, the mainline games should ALWAYS remain the central point of the franchise and GO should rather be sidelined to support mainline sales and not hurt said sales by including the new Pokemon in the app too soon.
On that note, however, that makes me wonder how GO will handle Alola forms when the new generation is inevitably released.
I agree with the spoil factor @May_Nyan , Yet I think it would be Awesome if they would add like four or five of the new Pokémon for promotion of Sun and Moon that would be cool., That being said I cannot wait for SUN and MOON they look spectacular.
That is a terrible idea. Nintendo and the Pokemon Company don't want to leech sales away from Sun and Moon, they want to build sales, and having all the new 'mon in a free game is going to make too many folks decide they don't need to get a new game if they've already caught many of the new ones.
I say keep the nostalgia rolling. It's folks in their late 20s and early 30s that have the money to spend on Pokemon GO, and the Gen I and Gen II 'mon are the ones they remember the fondest. Not to mention how long these Pokemon have been floating around in popular culture, many more are going to be instantly recognizable compared to the alienation most everyone would feel from a brand new batch of monsters everywhere.
Just my thoughts, but I honestly can't foresee a company attempting to hype new games by freely releasing the entire roster found in them.
I'd rather not have the all of the Alola Dex spoiled for me, I already think that they are getting close to showing too many new pokemon in the trailers. I think gen 2 would better for Niantic as a lot of people still recognise Johto Pokemon even if they haven't kept up with the series.
All Niantic has to do is place in-game advertisements for Sun and Moon in the loading screens.
I think it makes sense to add 7th gen pokemon next, as long as it's after Sun and Moon have released since I don't want to know what all the pokemon are before playing Moon. However, I'd prefer to see my beloved 2nd gen pokemon in it.
It could be a good source of publicity so that people will see the new pokemon and then be persuaded to buy Sun or Moon.
If they skip generations, then Niantic should at least release a statement saying that they're looking to add the other gens eventually.
At the moment, I don't want any new Pokemon to be added at all. Maybe once Niantic fix the major bugs and add a new tracking system as well as other new features to make the game more exciting, but not now.
I think it would be cool to see the new monsters in GO, but not until after Sun/Moon launch.
That being said, the majority of the people playing are only familiar with the Kanto, Johto, and maybe Hoenn Pokemon.
I see the benefits of doing it that way, I think it would really amp up hype for the 3ds game- maybe get some people to go out and buy it and a 3ds too if they don't already have one.
However, I personally wouldn't like it because I want to see the new pokemon when I encounter them in the 3ds game. It's already hard enough to avoid pictures of new pokemon- especially since Nintendolife uses the pictures for their articles on the main hub rather just in the articles themselves, I have to scroll by really fast and avoid looking at my screen.
But if I just saw them randomly in pokemon go it would kind of ruin it for me, but I understand that a lot of people don't share that feeling.
I think first they should add all the Alola alternate forms for Gen 1 Pokemon. It would at least make people want to catch Sandshrew.
Absolutely not! Finding the new pokemon and learning their evolutions for the first time is one of the great aspects of a new Pokemon game. They should never spoil it with a crappy phone game that is already past it's prime.
It's bad enough they've already spoiled near 30 of them through videos. Let us discover them in the game, don't ruin it!
no, they should be introduced with the game. they should take it slow and introduce gen II.
Yeah, let's just go in order...Gen II, maybe even have some sort of breeding mechanic instead of eggs appearing from stops. owo
I was thinking the same thing. It would be the perfect way to hype Sun and Moon.
I don't like the idea of Gen VII coming next to GO, because I've been avoiding a lot of the new Pokemon news and looking forward to meeting these new creatures for the first time the proper way - in a main series title, and in the region they belong in. I'm having a blast with GO, but I'd temporarily stop playing if they included Gen VII Pokemon before Sun and Moon release.
I also think a big selling point of (the free app, lol) Pokemon GO is nostalgia and using the most recognizable creatures. Gen II is nearly as recognizable as Gen I, so it would be absurd to wait on those for the next addition of Pokemon. The cross-promotional thing is a good point, but I think just having Pokemon hype so high makes people already looking for the main games and keeping an eye on Sun and Moon.
I also disagree. They need to be driving nostalgia as hard and as fast as they can. That's Pokémon GO's key to success.
I thunk that would just kill it off. It's the gen 1 Pokemon that everyone recognises that is driving the success. If it was the game itself then Ingress would have been way more popular than it was.
Gen 1 was the era that people remember. The TV show, the trading cards. I believe the gen 1 games sold 30 odd million, gen 2 dropping off to 20 million, and then dropping further each gen. Nothing will be as popular with people as gen 1 was.
While I love the idea of getting a goofy, tall Exeggutor sooner than later, I have to respectfully disagree. Sure, it could hype up the games a bit, but I think Go's success is currently based on nostalgia. And since Gen 2 is often considered the best of the best by many people, I think maybe Gen 2 should come before anything else, content-wise.
While I don't disagree with the idea... That really depends on the pokemon that will be in Gen VII. For example, if they jumped and added in Gen IV next, Porygon Z would be added, but Porygon 2 wouldn't be. It's a pretty tricky situation to go out of order.
No thank you. I want my Totodile.
I think working their way from gen 1 to 7+ is the right way to do it.
I think this is a really neat idea, but I do agree with many that it should be added after Gen 7 has been out for a while.
They should add the Alola pokemon, but only to Hawaii. Otherwise, it isn't realistic, and my game about cartoon animals needs to be realistic.
Adding the gen vii pokémon would just confuse and anger the people, many of whom let's face it are genwunners, who are playing bc of nostalgia. Throw a yungoos (sp?) in there and it may be kind of a turn off.
And give people no excuse to buy a 3DS and/or Sun/Moon to catch them if they can already catch them on their phones?
No, I see there being some sort of advertising in Go as we come closer to Sun+Moon's release along the lines of "Enjoy Pokemon Go? Why not give Sun+Moon a go on 3DS to catch all new Pokemon not found in Go?"
It would obviously be a great business move to promote the new main series games, but really, I'd rather see the Gen 3 Pokemon because Gardevoir is in there.
But before that I would like Pokemon GO to be functioning properly, and have a lot more features, because the game is pretty feature lacking right now. They also need to change how you can't be attached to your Pokemon, because of how Pokemon are treated as disposable and you can't raise the Pokemon of your choice.
Also, stop trying to make progression more difficult, instead just focus on making the game fun to play even if people have reached the level cap. If Niantic doesn't know how to make Pokemon GO engaging without the progression system then the game is doomed to fail at some point no matter how much they slow down the progression.
And miss out on catching an Ampharos? No way!
In all seriousness, this might be a bad marketing move. I don't think casual players completely understand what they're getting by buying a Pokemon game instead of downloading a free app. New Pokemon are a very distinct part of a new game, and that might ruin some of the appeal Sun and Moon would have on newbie fans.
@TreonsRealm
I think this person has the right idea. As others have said, releasing gen VII Pokemon this early will just cannibalize sales. And gen II will be more likely to resonate with players, not to mention the complexity of things like evolutions, breeding, and battling gradually increases through the series. But releasing the Alola forms of original 'mons? That could potentially be enough to actually tip scales in their favor... As long as they don't release that too early (or at least release the forms in a drip feed to avoid spoiling it all at once). Fans of the original games would be like, "AN ICE VULPIX?!?" and their attention is grabbed. But release Bewear and they'll just be like, "...the heck is pedobear doing in Pokemon?" Too much of a jump, let's slowly build up through the series.
Though doesn't matter when they see it, the second a gen wunner sees Alola Exeggcutor, they'll be done.
No thanks. Release all the previous generations beforehand
I've been saying this since Go's launch. Despite all the negativity toward the idea here I really think it's the logical move. Have a small sentence explaining that new Pokémon from Alola have turned up (with the release date) and suddenly awareness is huge amongst people who otherwise wouldn't have been aware of the 3DS gae in the slightest.
It'd be roughly 6 months after Go's launch, providing a big boost to content at a time when the game would arguably need it. Then have the other gens released on a 6 month basis, tie-ing into big releases when you can (don't tell me there won't be a D/P/Pt remake, definitely tie that into Go).
Nostalgia worked well for the first batch and raising awareness of Go but long term what's the advantages of just continuing that route? As someone stated here relying on that would mean diminishing returns as players reach the point where they 'dropped' and their nostalgia ends, whilst you miss out on the huge marketing potential both at the time and if they return to the app later once 'their gen' has actually been released. If someone was realy going to play Go purely because they could get an Umbreon they will still go back to it when Umbreon is released, even if that's a year or so later. If there's been some newer 'mon released on there in the meantime there's always a chance they'll end up with some new favourites and thus motivation to get S/M
How would we evolve Golbat or Scyther then?
I think hype for Sun & Moon is already high enough. If they hold off and add the news ones later then they can refresh that hype once it dies down again. Nintendo have always been about longevity with software sales.
Interesting! Like many, as much as I look forward to Gen II, this seems very logical and could be what Nintendo need to maximise revenue on Sun and Moon. Realistically, this major update will arrive in December, but it could still prove effective after a month of S&M's release.
Basically the consensus is that the article is wrong and they should go with gen 2 next.
Surely one of the biggest setting points for Sun & Moon are the new & exclusive Pokémon introduced... while the big appeal factor for GO is the inclusion of Gen 1 Pokémon only. :x
It would probably be the smartest way to handle the release of Sun&Moon. Pokemon Go was most likely originally created to try and reach a new (and sometimes old) audience with the Pokemon brand and in turn create potential customers for Nintendo's hardware and the Pokemon games.
It won't leech anything off of the sales for Sun&Moon, Pokemon Go is a free app with no depth to the mechanics at all. Even if P2P battles are available in the future, the game is boring because it is so shallow and lacks just about everything that makes the main Pokemon games so fun.
The games are completely different so why would releasing new Pokemon in GO make people not want to buy Sun&Moon anymore? Anyone interested in a Pokemon game won't be satisfied with just Pokemon GO, that's where the main games come in and they will do just fine. I'm stoked about Sun & Moon btw.
ps: I play Pokemon GO every now and then and it's a fun little distraction. It did become much worse after the latest update and I noticed every Pokemon flees when you travel faster. I can't even play the game when I'm in the passenger seat? Yeah...great way to give me even less opportunities to play your game.
I feel like Nintendo would only want consumers to have access to these new pokemon by buying a 3DS and Sun/Moon. Letting people catch and use them for free in Go seems to be what Nintendo wants to avoid with mobile, making the 3DS seem less relevant
Hm. No, like many say, gen 2 would be much higher better. But I just wonder how and when mega evolution is introduced
I just hit myself in the face with my phone, that's how the idea of skipping generations makes me feel. Like I've been hit in the face.
Why not just keep PG and Pokémon separated? They are different games in many ways. Wouldn't it be nice to keep PG as simple as possible to attract casual players (who probably only know Pikachu and some Gen 1 and 2 Pokémons), then encourage them to buy a 3ds to explore more?
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