Pokémon Clone Temtem Is So Successful Its Servers Are Crumbling Under Demand

I'm excited to try it out, just waiting for things to die down.

I heard rumors that they were also had a DDos attack as well messing things up.

I was thinking about it....but it's an MMO....no thanks.

Makes sense. PC has a huge install base and I'm sure there are plenty of people that want to play a Pokemon type game that don't want to buy a Nintendo system to do it. Look at the pokemon go install base. I hope it does well. Perhaps new home for the jaded anti-pokemon people?

If you want to be the best, copy the best.

Hm... I'm curious to see if we finally have a decent contender here. It'll take a decade or so, but proper market competition is always a good thing.

I watch a bit of a stream of it last night. It looked uninspired and poorly constructed.

Not sure 90,000 Steam players at launch constitutes "one of its biggest launches ever", but it is clearly outperforming expectations.

It’s proof there’s a huge demand for these sorts of games on PC. Of course, if you’re so inclined there’s plenty ways to play actual Pokémon on PC but this is an actual official release.

Well as rip offs go,this is as blatant as it gets.

I haven't seen much gameplay, but even just the concept of a Pokemon MMO is enticing enough to me

Yeah. Let's be real.

This is what Pokemon should have been.

@PlayedNSlayed its a ripoff when the clone is not as good as the original.

When the clone is better than the original, we call that innovation.

When it releases on console, I should give this a try. Competition is great when things become stagnant and stale

@Damo Dude, there's a massive difference in calling the game "inspired" versus calling it a "clone."

There are plenty of mon games, most of which are, yes, heavily inspired by Pokemon. That's fine. It's a wonderful game to be inspired by. Glad that this game is doing well so far!

Let's be real. People are just saying this is a good game to circlejerk against Swsh.

@Yorumi You do realize that there's a lot more to it than just simply adding Pokemon in the game? Read this post by a game developer who explains the process
https://askagamedev.tumblr.com/post/186632316431/what-do-you-think-about-the-pokemon-sword-and/amp?__twitter_impression=true

Hopefully the server problems are fixed by the time this hits Switch.

1. how many Temtem are there?
2. how big is the region that you play on?
3. how intricate is the combat system?

also why is one of their types MELEE and another DIGITAL

lmao this game is uninspired as all hell

cross progression (PC + SWITCH) is what could make me get into this...waiting calmly

I heard that it was 2v2 battles only...so pass from me lol

I've heard great things about this game. People really wanted something like this, a Pokemon-like always online. So I really hope it success and gets better and better, so that Pokemon find some competition... I think that's exactly what that series needs.
Besides, this is a small studio, it's good that it receives some recognition!

@Octoguy even if its better it's still cleary very inspired by pokemon, making it a pokemon clone

@Damo "Inspired by" is NOT the same as "clone".

Tempting, but I'm not sure I'll get into this...at least for awhile; needs more polishing first. Previous MMOs I've played sucked me too much.

@Octoguy They actually marketed is a Pokemon type of game, so the title makes sense.

Makes sense as the PC audience knows that unlike Sony and Microsoft, Nintendo won't bring their 1st party exclusives to PC.

@Yorumi A lot of the people who are complaining are mostly just super hardcore fans on the internet. Most people who play video games are mostly casuals who just want to play and have fun

Well, that's why we have early access, and to the game's credit, it's offering an actual game, rather than a half finished mess like too many titles on Steam. I hope it does well, it shows a lot of promise, and it says a lot when the biggest problem is that too many people want to play it.

I can't try it out myself though, I have never cared about MMO's in any capacity. It seems kind of bland to me, but I can't say much since I haven't watched much gameplay.

@Aeleron0X Loved the article! Thanks for sharing. I knew that there was a ton of work put into the nationaldex, but after reading the amount of work for each pkmn I understand why they made the decision not to include it. Also, they could have just not had enough time and money to add all of the nationaldex before release, so they will be releasing it in parts via DLC stories and areas.

@Unit_DTH No problem! There are a lot misconceptions people have about game development in general, so it's important to understand that there are complexities and a lot of layers that goes on when making a game

@Yorumi Umm how? All I'm doing is simply showing a link to a game developer who has years of experience in the industry. If you really have doubts, then you can just simply look at his FAQ section and ask him on Twitter. He responds quickly and he can give you a good response

My Son got this on Steam, I'm waiting for the Switch version.

@Yorumi Actually it references even bringing already made models to new hardware and the differences that would inevitably be present, it never said it was impossible, just a task that might be hindered by time constraints and initial funding given to the title. I never said they didn't have the money for it, but perhaps didn't have the money for it to be done within the time constraints that were set forth by Nintendo's release schedule for the game. I don't really give a care about whether or not the nationaldex is in any pkmn game going forward, but that's just my opinion.

@Yorumi Well ok, then show me what kind of work that you have and what your background is. As for AAGD, his blog has been retweeted and supported by many other developers and workers working in the industry and has even been showcased by Dan Floyd an animator and former host of Extra Credits

@Yorumi Look, we get it. You hate SW/SH.

None of us actually care.

@Yorumi surely, as a game dev with 10 years experience, you can understand the reasoning behind either cutting parts, or just delaying them? When making a game, even if you are a AAA studio, you are still a slave to factors such as money, hardware constraints, time constraints and creative reasoning about what a title needs and does not need. Please correct me if I'm wrong. I've only made a handful of small games and I've done it by myself, but I also have been disappointed by what I could and could not include in my titles, so the disappointment for the developers as well as the fans is present in every aspect of game dev.

I'm tired of this argument. Look, for a game Sword and Shield isn't that bad if done by a small company with limited funding. For a triple A that's dominating the market? No. It's not okay. It just isn't. Especially for the price for each game, pulling the same minor differences and appealing to collector's wallets once again. All of this combined is really terrible practice. For what it's worth, if I found the game for like £15-20, I might bite but for what it is, absolutely no more.

@Aeleron0X You have relied so heavily on one man's answer, although @Yorumi has clearly pointed out this is flawed logic, you still refute that there is a lack of effort from the company. Let's Go looks better than shield in most areas. Let's forget the amount of mon and say this was ok on release, they'll fix the animations, textures and lighting in a patch right? Perhaps they'll give us more of the world to explore (being fairly small for an open world game) for a fair price, right?
NOPE. They haven't done either of those things which would have instantly changed the minds of the disgruntled fans. It's not much to ask for.

@Jayofmaya If you actually take the time to read AAGD's FAQ section, he goes into detail about what goes on behind the scenes and how the process work. Also calling game developers 'lazy' is an insult to the workers who are doing their best to make consumers feel happy. Most people don't understand how game development works or how budgeting works. Just because Pokemon is a huge brand, that doesn't mean that they can do whatever they want. It's complicated

Why is this comment section so anti-Pokémon?

Also: why some people seem to think this is the only monster-catching game other than Pokémon? It’s not exactly a new concept and some of the long running monster-catching games are even older than Pokémon....

From what I've seen this looks a bit too close to Pokemon. Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with heavily borrowing from other games and the more competition the better but the game also needs to stand on its own aswell. So far the only unique thing I've seen is the MMO aspect which wouldn't even be that interesting for me since I mostly play my Switch on the go anyway.

This is great for many reasons. Pokemon was starting to become like Madden in that they had no competition so they got lazy. If you love Pokemon this is one of the best things that could happen. Now they have to try to compete rather than being the only show in town. Think about how good WWF was when they had real competition and how stagnant it became after they bought WCW. Competition is always a good thing.

Also Pokemon was not an original idea when it first came out. They just did it better than the predecessors.

@Aeleron0X What you're doing is a little like this; imagine Super Mario Odyssey just had retro skins for most npcs and characters, they all also flop down like the way the Mario one falls over. Now imagine the environments went dark in places and the levels just looked crappy in some places.
Would it have been ok for Nintendo to release this? Would it have scored as well?
If you answer yes to either you're living with delusion.

The online co-op stuff looks good. Also, only $35. Have enough stuff to play right now. But later on for sure.

I truly hope it kicks ass and shows gamefreak how a modern pokemon game should be done.

@Jayofmaya When did I ever said 'yes' about the visuals? Also Game Freak and Nintendo are both separate game studios and both have different amount of employees, development process, schedule, etc. Moreover Pokemon has a different art direction from Mario

@BenAV I still don't really understand why ppl dump so hard on Sword and Shield when SuMo and XY were about the same quality games and no one went as hard on them. They're all too easy and a little handholdy but still fun. I still think Gen 3-5 was the best era of pokemon however.

@Yorumi I actually didn't bring up "backwards compatibility" I brought up "forward compatibility" and I'm no expert.
I haven't really noticed any performance issues with my copy of Sword, but maybe I'm not looking hard enough? You are obviously very passionately against the most recent pokemon games and I understand that, they have been extremely divisive, but I am enjoying them so far. Would I have liked the whole game to be more polished? Yes, the textures in places look like something from an N64, but it hasn't affected my enjoyment of the title.

I respect your opinion and the myriad of other fans that hold a similar and same opinion, but I am still enjoying the game for what it is... a new addition to a franchise I've enjoyed for years.

I am looking forward to giving TemTem a try on the switch! I love to see developers jump into the monster collection/fighting genre and this game has had my interest for quite a while. It would be nice to have it become a long-running franchise like pokemon and bring some healthy competition to the genre.

@Yorumi Fair enough. I read it more as a question of forward compatibility than backwards, but I just re-read it and see what you are saying. Honestly, the whole franchise is getting a bit stale and they need something like TemTem or Monster Rancher to come onto the playing field to make them rethink some of their strategies.

This is wonderful! Hopefully they get successful enough to give Pokémon a run for their money so that they’ll actually be forced to compete and expand!

I said NO to All MMO games.
NO Physical, Online Only = NO Buy and NO Play for me

@Joeynator3000 What's your problem with MMO's? Tell me what you find specifically wrong with them. Maybe you can have some people who liked your comment help you out.

@Anti-Matter Why? What's your beef?

@Leej07 You would be mistaken, Leej. There are plenty of legitimate complaints against Pokémon Sword/Shield coming from many people. They do care.

@Aeleron0X "Hey d00ds at head office, we got not nuff dollar dollar bill or staff to make the game good. Can we has some more funding from the billions plix? Thx yo." Problem solved. Come on and now that the game is out you think they can ONLY work on dlc, no polishing patches? You must have never ever played anither franchise. Ever.

@Dog
No physical = No buy since i am a game collector.
MMO = Big NO NO for me since the game just only playable when the server still exist. Once the server has been shutted down, Adios ! It will be UNPLAYABLE Forever. Just look at Final Fantasy XI Online case.

@Yorumi I hope that temtem doesn't turn trashbags and keyrings into monsters, that move by GF literally made my head hurt.
It is hard for me to get excited to see a chandelier as a "Monster" or a teacup, or anything of that ilk... they just seem unimaginative about some of their design choices and I want to see pkmn become something better at this point. Healthy competition is needed. You can't remain on top by pandering and not evolving.

@Dog I simply do not care for online multiplayer, if the game had an offline mode, then maybe. But if I HAVE to be online, then...yeah, no thanks.

@Anti-Matter Didn't even think about the whole server shut down issue, another reason why I don't like MMOs. Maybe if the game was free I'd try it...

@Jayofmaya Your attitude is making this really difficult. Quit it and show some respect. Hiring people is long and difficult process. You need to hand in your resume, do a phone interview, do an in person interview, maybe do a test and then wait to be accepted while the people doing the hiring process has to go through other people. Hiring a single employee can take months to do, it's not something that can happen overnight. And even if they do get hired, they have to get up to speed with the tools which also takes time.

Also, hiring people is expensive. The average salary for a person working in the industry is around $10,000/month. If you do the math then that means Pokemon Company would have to pay GF employees $1.47 million per month or $17.64 million per year and that doesn't even include rent, taxes, etc. That money builds up and it's also why layoffs in AAA companies are common. You might say that Pokemon has a lot of money and sure Pokemon Company earns a lot but they also spend a lot. Their revenue was $2.98 billion dollara but their net profit was only $124 million. This means that they spent $2.856 billion. Remember that Pokemon is more than just a game series, they have toys, merch, animation, cards, etc. And each of those require workers and huge amounts marketing. And with a huge international brand like Pokemon, that money builds very fast very quick. It's more complicated than it looks

To cut into the discussion about developers and effort in games, I've played Temtem for a good few hours, and initial thoughts are positive. Sure, it feels like Pokémon in the battle mechanics, but at the same time there's a major difference owing to the stamina bar rather than PP limits for moves. It adds a bit more strategy into the proceedings, as while you can go over the stamina limit, you'll be using the HP of your Temtem to do so, and depending on what advantage you currently have, that might not be the best idea.

The overworld is all interlinked (so there's no gating of sections involved), though just like Alola there are multiple islands to explore. The visuals look great, and everything is smooth in action. The music is a sweeping score of violins with various other instruments mixed in with that. The battle themes - also a favourite in Pokémon - are beautiful within this.

A clone is a clone. Not worth my time

This is better than Pokémon

I hope Game Freak is paying attention

You want a good pokemon clone that has a better story? It's called world of final fantasy

I kinda want to play this game but it being a mmo completely turns me off

Nothing wrong with games that take heavy inspiration from another more established and popular game, as long as they put effort and their own spin to the formula. That's how a genre or subgenre started. We wouldn't have 2D fighters if nobody bother to "clone" Street Fighter 2. Sure, some if not most of them ended up to be cheap cash-grab attempt but then we have something like King of Fighters etc that proved to be worthy rival of the series that started the said genre. Or the same case in Monster Hunter with Toukiden, God Eater, Dauntless, etc.
Don't dismiss a game because it's a "clone", or getting mad because someone called a favorite game of yours as a clone of something more popular. We will have more choice in the genre and more competition will force the "original" to be on their toes to stay on spot. It's a win for us fans.

Good for them. Competition breeds progress after all. But this looks completely uninteresting to me.

I will gladly stick with Pokemon without giving this much more than, maybe, a second glance.

if the game is free then no this is actually quite understandable especially for a Pokémon clone on a comp and a mmo though if it costs money then it all goes down to whether or not they gave copies to those that kickstarted it.

@Aeleron0X I know all of that. You're still missing the point that it's been quite a number of months and no texture/graphical improvement patch or a promise of that, ya know, to make it on par with the consistency of graphics in the titles that came before. I'm not really sure why you're so vigorously defending the game, but I guess you're not really bothered as long as something new eith the Pokemon name slapped on is available to play. I'm just not on that level and I will still not buy it until at least a patch is out sorting the bulk of the inconsistent graphical errors and poor textures. If that bothers you, I guess that you'll just have to lose sleep.

@playstation_king
"You want a good pokemon clone that has a better story? It's called World of Final Fantasy"

Final Fantasy XIII-2 and Kingdom Hearts 3DS / 2.8 HD too.
You can capture and train the monsters on those games also.

@Jayofmaya
I have finished the storyline of Pokemon Sword. Still have a lot of to do after post game.
I didn't even feel the Dexit impact.
The game was okay for me, quite mediocre in storyline but still tolerable since i was a Casual gamer for Pokemon franchise.

@Jayofmaya If you know it then why the hell are you trying to oversimplify my argument and ignoring my points about how development works? I already stated how game studios have different priorities and they have a schedule that they need to keep. Also is that really what you're concerned about? The graphics? In my opinion, graphics are the least priority and I think optimization and adding value to a game are more bigger priorities. I already said how Pokemon has a different art direction and how a majority of people who are casuals and children don't overly care that much about the graphics or textures. The sales numbers should tell you that a majority of people are enjoying the game. If 'defending' SwSh in your eyes means talking only about the textures or Dexit and not "there's a lot more going on in game development", then you have an issue of how interpret information.

My fiance and I played this game during the server stress tests and right away we both liked it. But the more and more we played it, the more and more we realized we were just playing an uninspired, knock off of something that we actually love to play.

The graphics and style of the game are akin to the Let's Go series. The MMO style is similar to what Pokemon has now in the wild areas in Sword and Shield.

I like that they tried to change up the battle formula, but if someone really wants to spice it up, it needs to be a real time battle like Pokken Tournament.

Sword and Shield, while they didn't take as big of a jump as we all want, did at least begin that process with the Wild area. And considering how their upcoming expansions look, they're going all in on that style.

Now I'm not giving Game Freak a full pass. I expect more from them. But I do think they know what has to be done going forward. Temtem however doesn't really do too much that's new for me to keep playing.

Edit: Also, it being online only is a huge drawback for me. Having every action in the game being server based is ridiculous.

I'm having a blast. I am really liking the game.
Obviously there are issues, disconnecting and such, but gameplay, it's very solid!

I really like the game and can't wait for it to come to the Switch next year. I have submitted some suggestions about things that can help the game, but if it is this good right now, can't wait to see how much better will be when the game is when it is fully released.

@Zerocritic
Honestly the only MMO part is having other players online running around and ability to interact with them (as in trade or battle other players) but that's about it.
I haven't talked to anyone yet, but capturing the monsters and training is really well done. I really like the strategy that comes from it. Even though I have to get used to the typing and disadvantages.

Does anyone know if the game has a monthly subscription? If it has not I will probably try it on switch...

@Balta666 no subscription that I know of, it is in early access so just buy the game and go

@edgedino Not Free, it is $35 for early access. And it had a total of 12,000 backers. So the kickstarters not the ones filling the servers.

Pretty sure that a big part of temtem's succes is due to sword and shield being pretty mediocre, leaving players wanting more.

So far I've been playing temtem for 3 hours and it has been a lot of fun. I really like the art-style and the combat system seems like a lot of fun.

Whether is got the staying power that sw/sh lacks has yet to been seen, but don't sleep on this title.

I'll be passing on this as it doesn't look like the developer tried to do much differently.

Having said that, I hope it does really well commercially, we all know GameFreak have become far too complacent and could do with competition.

I like Coke more than I like Pepsi! stupid Pepsi for making a Coke clone.
Sure Coke has lots of expansions like Orange vanilla but as a hard core Coke drinker I do enjoy classic Coke the best. I can't believe the coke development team still releases Diet Coke expansions like lime and cherry.
rabbel rabbel rabbel!

Here's the thing this require Online presence to play something Pokemon doesn't need. So that more or less mutes my wanting it.

Pokemon NEEDS Temtem to succeed for them. Why? It'll help push Pokemon to improve. If I recall, Temtem only has 50% of the planned content for now, and people are saying it's already better than Sword and Shield.

From gameplay that is ACTUALLY challenging, to the flexibility of playing solo or with friends, I'm hoping this ends well for both, with Pokemon having a strong rival that pushes it to truely innovate while learning a few things from Temtem, while the new IP becomes the strong rival that is needed for healthy competition.

@Pandagess 😂 Thanks for that! Probably the best comment I’ve had the pleasure of reading in awhile.

I'll never get why people want this clone...

@Reigestugatensho it's either they want the MMO aspect, or have an actual challenge in the Pokemon games without doing Nuzlocke. You can't deny SwSh is the easiest with the always on Exp. Share, and the Exp Candy where you can get a Lv100 Pokemon easy before the first gym with them.

So it's called Temtem, but they didn't have Temmie Chang on character design? For shame!

Also, "which could be two million the first year"?
Sure, if the game actually offers the initial players something worthwhile, so that people don't stop buying it three days from now.

@Agramonte pc gamers must really be starving for a Pokémon mmo then.

@Saro I'm not gonna defend 'em since it really is easy. In fact, I'd go as far as to say it's the shortest game too. But if the game was too easy then you could just play the older games. You don't have to play something else (although it's entirely up to you). It also doesn't justify cloning another game.

@Reigestugatensho Temtem actually has done things unique that Pokemon doesn't do. For example, they really have it where attacks can upgrade in various ways, like in priority if the partner is of a certain type, the two Temtem perform a special combo attack together that isn't one of their regular moves, buff each other if they can, evolve midbattle and have it where breeding can allow you to have true crossbreeding. Some of these things wouldn't be in a Pokemon game due to being too complex for children, the target demographic for Pokemon. Temtem was created with adults in mind, and has diversity enough to not be called a clone. It's got similarities that leads one to think it's a clone, but one shouldn't dismiss Temtem without looking at the fine details first.

@Yorumi The game has already sold a lot and many casuals are enjoying the game. That should be an indicator that many people don't think the game is 'low quality'. Also read one of my previous comments. But in short, hiring people is a long and tedious process and it's also expensive. By hiring more people, the development cost can go over budget. While Pokemon Company earns a lot they also spend a lot as well

@Yorumi So you're saying that people's enjoyment shouldn't be a factor in a game's quality? Like ok gamer. Look, games are games. If a good chunk of consumers are having fun and enjoying the game then that should say something, no? Also if me explaining the process and difficulties is some how 'blindly defending', then you have an issue of how you interpret information. If you really are a developer that has 10 years of experience then you should know better.

@Saro All of those unique details are from Pokemon still. Evolving midbattle? It was shown in the Anime and you still evolve just after the fight. Combo Moves? They have in the Game and in the Anime. You can 'Crossbred' Pokemon to get the desired Nature, Moves, and IV's for that specific 'Mon. There are tons of details in Pokemon games that kids don't notice! But I digress. All of those features can be found within Pokemon. So, the game is a clone.

@Reigestugatensho Can you create hybrid Pokemon like a Charmander-Bagon hybrid that is a unique species that aren't found in the wild? you fail to understand where I'm coming at here. I'm just talking to a rock at this point, so it's pointless to explain any further. I'd say play Temtem but you'd do some excuse like the price, it's an MMO, or stick to that naive belief that Temtem is a carbon copy.

Watch some let's plays.

@Saro Maybe you should reread this "Rock's" comment. Clearly you didn't catch anything I said. No one wants a weird hybrid breeding species. I said those features are found in the anime and game media. It's not an original concept at all. It's just an online Clone of Pokemon. You're just a bit too zealous to notice.