
Game Freak has revealed that Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon has been a "growth-based project for younger staff members", with veteran members of the team tackling the first title for the series on Switch.
The information comes from an interview conducted by Gamespot in which Shigeru Ohmori and Kazumasa Iwao (both Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon directors) discuss the new games and the way in which Game Freak organises its staff. Ohmori-san talks about how Game Freak likes to use certain projects as a way for younger developers to grow in their craft, whilst the more experienced crew are let loose on new projects. By doing this, Game Freak believes that all of their projects "have a positive effect on one another as they go".
Whilst it would be easy to jump to conclusions and suspect that this approach could cause Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon to be a lesser product, Game Freak has assured us that this is not the case. The battle system featured in the new games has been worked on by Shigeki Morimoto (who has been involved in nearly every main series game including Pokémon Red and Blue) and, according to Iwao-san, the company "always have veterans - really experienced people - involved on the quality control side of things".
Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon arrive on November 17th and, if you're still deciding whether or not to visit Alola for a second time, you can check out our own interview with the directors in which they tell us why we should all play them. In the meantime, what do you think about the studio's approach to assigning its developers in this way? Feel free to unleash your thoughts in the comments.
[source gamespot.com]
Comments 54
Not sure if that's good or bad yet. Sun/moon was okay though, but not the best.
I'd like to see a mix of old and new developers on the Switch game. I admire the veteran developers and their pedigree, but fresh, young talent might be able to steer the series in an exciting new direction.
To be fair, 90% of their work was already done. I'm sure they didn't start from scratch. I wouldn't be worried too much about quality, especially if there is still oversight from other veterans.
Did the younger ones also make Sun & Moon as well? First game in the series I didn’t enjoy.
Why not give the younger folks a chance at breathing fresh air into this stale franchise, Game Freak? Yes, the badge and gym system may have been replaced in SM by the Island Challenge but that‘s surely only the first step at revitalizing this franchise.
@GoldenGamer88 Those challenges are just gyms but revamped with worse puzzles in them.
You guys do realise that, sooner or later, someone else has to take the mantle of developing Pokémon games, and any other Nintendo IP for that matter! This is fine as long as the older team are mentoring the younger guys.
@GoldenGamer88 A lot of people like the badge and gym system though. It’s one of the many things I didn’t enjoy in Sun because it lacked them. I’m all for trying new ideas, but different doesn’t always mean better. I just want better, more interesting worlds to explore.
Personally I think a game like this is perfectly suited for younger developers since a lot of the game is already built so they have a foundation to go off of.
@thesilverbrick With Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon finished, you'd expect that the younger staff might jump on to the Switch game too?
Ok, really is very good that young people work in big projects and they learn how to develop games on their own and thus gathering experience (of course, with veteran key people for avoid "problems"); so, then, remembering that veteran people will not be forever, so these young people will have to continue gaining experience and follow in the steps of those veteran people and of course, to put something of "their own harvest".
Maybe is not good when sometime there are any changes that don't like to everybody, but, for me, is good have patient and support of that they are next people that lead projects and they need that support and feedback for that the next games continue with that success that they have had.
@Hughesy Never claimed different would equal better. I simply feel that the franchise, as it is now, is becoming rather stale with its almost yearly releases. If I was given the choice, I‘d, too, go for the badge system. Albeit in a more open fashion, by which I mean the option to tackle badges in any way you want with the levels of trainers and wild Pokemon increasing with every badge. Or the option to join up with friends online and play through the game together.
@KTT Couldn‘t agree more. The second-to-worst aspectof the games, next to Festival Plaza obviously.
I thought Sun and moon were made by amateurs...
Hopefully this means the Switch game is pretty far along and might come in ‘18.
I also didn’t enjoy S/M very much. The series needs an overhaul much like BotW did for Zelda.
@RyanCraddock I sure hope so. I love Pokémon, but the series needs a shot in the arm to break out of the stale routine it seems to be stuck in.
@justin233 Exactly! Just imagine an open world Pokemon game where Pokemon run around freely in the overworld, rival trainers have their own daily routines with some giving more involved sidequests, the possibility of tackling badges in any given order and scaling levels according to the amount of earned badges. And the cherry on top, option to tackle the game with your friends.
@justin233 I thought Sun/Moon was a pretty big revamp, which was exactly why I didn’t enjoy it. The only thing I liked was the art style, still haven’t completed it as I’m enjoying playing Gold more.
I'm just frothing for pokemon switch. Getting closer to merging stadium/Colosseum/pokken to the standard pokemon experience!
@GoldenGamer88 @justin233
That would put only two years between Sun/Moon and a new generation altogether, and I don't think I see that happening.
Way I see it, the more likely thing would be a Pearl/Diamond re-release for 2018.
@Pod I‘d take that, too. Platinum‘s my favorite mainline title anyway.
@Tsurii Sliding puzzle for example. And apparently those are popular enough to produce standalone mobile puzzle games as well.
Could throw teleport/moving panels here as well. And moving some horizontal poles/fans in the right position to create a path.
I prefer those than: go from point A to an already marked point B (located like two steps in front of you) and click the "A button" to fight a pokemon (instead of a trainer who would yeld more Exp btw).
And this "puzzle" was repeated like two or three times in few separated challenges. Meaning that they were basically the same things. Not to mention a trial that doesn't exist yet in SuMo (Mina anyone?).
This makes perfect sense. Many of the assets and mechanics are already there, so US/UM is the ideal project for newer devs. Best to get their feet wet with an enhanced version before they move onto newer, more original titles.
You can't expect the old team to stick around forever. Eventually the younger developers need to take up the mantle and bring in their own fresh ideas. I still maintain that, despite a few missteps, Pokemon Sun is the best Pokemon game I've played since Black 2.
Smart idea. Gets younger deva valuable experience while giving them a template to build off of.
Getting kinda burned out on Pokemon and have decided to skip US/UM. Not getting Silver or Gold either. Going to wait until Pokemon Switch comes out to see if it renews my interest in the series.
So...who was the brain behind "TWO Z-Moves!!!111!1!", "MOAR CAMERA STUFFS!!!!111!", and anything else that nobody asked for?
@GoldenGamer88 Yeah. Festival Plaza is most probably an effect of hardware limitation... Or rather not very well coded game... And unfortunately, it's like poor man's Join Avenue.
I think the series needs a "Breath" of fresh air with bold, new, innovative ideas and risk taking much like what was done with Zelda, if not more extensive.
Developers have been playing it far too safe with changes to the series since it's inception. It's one thing with Pokemon's simple formula on a Game Boy, but I think they need to step it up big time -
what with the Switch being at least a tiny bit more capable than a Game Boy and all.
Younger devs at Nintendo were responsible for Splatoon.
Colour me excited!
This supports what I was saying a while ago about their potential to branch off into two main series of Pokemon games... the existing main series on the 3DS, and the new series on the Switch (rather than just abandoning the 3DS in favour of the Switch as many assumed).
@KTT I just found it annoying going through several menus just trade or battle. PSS in XY was so much better in that you could actually play the game while waiting for peeps to battle or trade with.
@DragonEleven Well, its no assumption at this point. They said this is it for the 3DS. As it should be. You don't want to fracture the series being on two different platforms concurrently and these platforms aren't compatible with one another. It defeats the purpose of Pokémon
@GoldenGamer88 Well, that's the limitation. The game can't handle the overworld AND the online at the same time.
Edit: that's the same reason they got rid of the stereoscopic 3D altogether. And tripple battles.
I thought they made some welcomed changes to the series in S/M. They may have not been executed perfectly. But I do think they provided some nice building blocks for future titles. What I would love to see is an effort to make the gym/island challenges aspects of the game unique to each region introduced from here on out.
As it should be. This is how you train up a new generation of developers to take the reins one day.
Now, let's hope the veterans step it up and set the example with Pokémon on Switch. I'm not expecting too much of an improvement but at the very least it'll have better graphics and full analog control.
@Tsurii Winona's Gym? Pryce? Wallace? Just some that came immadiately to my mind.
@Urameshi Think you need to finish high school before you start commenting there Urameshi.
Joking aside, I would like to see them do something different with the series formula that doesn't completely upheave the original system, but instead creates a natural evolution for it.
@H1B1Esquire says you but last I checked you don’t speak for every single Pokémon fan. I know I am excited to be able to use more than two Z Moves and being able to take pics with my Pokémon is awesome to me. I liked that you could take pictures in X& Y of yourself and taking pics of wild Pokémon was awesome in Sun & Moon and this seems a natural progress of that.
I actually really like this idea! It gives a great opportunity for growth!
I don't recall gyms being all that exciting, the trials were decent except for cheapness like Totem Lurantis. I don't really get the complaints about it either. As far as I'm concerned it seems clear they will be going back to gyms in the future... I think so anyway.
Great! As long as they don't share the same opinion that "players don't wan't the battle facilities because they get frustrated" were good!
Well, now I know why it looks vastly different from other 3rd versions
Hype!!
As long as their younger developers are given the proper guidance, I can't see how this could be anything but a benefit. Everything I have seen about this game so far gives me the confidence it will be well worth everyone's money, especially if you haven't played the original Sun and Moon. I think what everyone really wants though is Pokemon Switch. At least, I know I do and I don't even play Pokemon games much.
@UmbreonsPapa Yeah, I read that article on IGN... he never actually said Ultra Sun and Moon would be the last games on 3DS.
What he said was that it was the culmination of their work on the 3DS... that doesn't mean it will be their last, only that they don't expect any future games on the system to push its capabilities any further... as I said before... people are just making assumptions.
I've also pointed out before that they have never said that the Switch game will be part of the existing series... only that it'll be a core RPG... they could quite easily be starting a second core series of games that will run alongside the existing series.
@Sciqueen : It was made for amateurs.
The fact that Game Freak has put this on the record has made me feel better about the fact that the Ultra games are as underwhelming as they are, as it's now a glorified staff training exercise that is being released as a full retail product.
I now have a greater appreciation as to why this exists (plus the fact that it's a quick and easy cash-in), but they're still the most underwhelming Pokémon games ever made. Perhaps they could have finally made Pokémon Z that improves X/Y with the bells and whistles of Sun and Moon whilst making both regions explorable a la G/S/C. Now that would be something to get excited about.
Can they make “Pokémon Stories” ?
It's Pokemon. I buy at least 1 version of every main series title and play it at least once. But I will keep waiting for the Switch title. And along with that Switch title, Pokemon Bank - I will be able to bring Pokemon I caught in 3rd gen all the way to a Switch game. That hype is real.
US/UM are placeholders until then.
A good idea so that the Switch game hasn’t had to wait
@sillygostly The saddest part of pokemon Z is that, that you got it as a pared down mini side plot in SuMo. Hence, I don't think Zygarde and Z version is relevant anymore.
@Hughesy It says volumes that you're enjoying Gold more haha. GSC was the last major revamp the series got and the gameplay still holds up today. I agree they're overdue another big overhaul
@KTT : Of course. That ship has long sailed. One can dream though.
I've also wanted a main series Pokémon game with full stereoscopic 3D, but we never got that either.
If new developers really did make Splatoon, then what's the point with these new developers not having the same chance as the others, when their only reusing the same assets? What does that imply since the majority of US/UM is already done?
@DragonEleven While not explicit, I think its pretty clear the message they're trying to get across. This is it for the 3DS. I mean, S/M had a hard time running on a standard 3DS. It was gimped of certain features probably because of the limitations. And I don't see no rhyme or reason in having the series split and running concurrently on two different platforms. Why? And unless I missed something, there is no known connectivity between the 3DS and the Switch, a big part of the series. Unless we're banking (no pun intended) on Pokemon Bank to serve as a bridge for two separate series. That's asking quite a lot from your audience. Especially from the younger ones
@UmbreonsPapa As I said before, they wouldn't be splitting the series in two, they'd be creating a second main series alongside the first, and with Game Freak handling both, it would be far easier for them to make it so that both series complimented one another. Think of it like the way Colosseum/XD related to the main series games... they were two separate series, but were still alike in a number of ways... they just done things differently in order to better suit their respective systems.
If Colosseum/XD had been done by Game Freak themselves, to the same level as the main series games, then they could easily have become a second main series.
It's not like it would be the first time a main series of games has been created as what would essentially be a spin-off... just look at all of the different series of Mario games there are now... even the original Mario series was essentially a spin-off from Donkey Kong.
As for connectivity between the Switch and 3DS... it's stupid to think that they cannot connect... they both have wi-fi adapters, so they obviously can connect just as easily as a 3DS can to a another 3DS, or a Switch can to another Switch... it would just be a matter of programming them how to do so. Just because it hasn't been done yet doesn't mean it's not possible... there haven't been any games that have had any reason to connect the two systems.
@Hughesy i've played pokemon sun & moon i love the layout i think great i'm hoping pokemon ultra sun & ultra moon are also fun & exciting as well i just hope they bring the pokemon games to nintendo switch as well because i think that pokemon games would look great on the television it's my thought anyway
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