It seems like everyone under the sun is playing Pokemon GO, but will these people show up for the release of Pokemon Sun?
Everyone might be talking about Pokemon GO, but like many of the less-threatening infections of the world, the conversation is going to clear up soon. After people realize how much work they have to put into the game with no apparent end in sight other than catching them all and posting pictures to social media of Pokemon in strange places, this craze will end.
And when it does, the ones paying the penalty might be Pokemon Sun and Pokemon Moon, which are due for release this November.
A lot of people, new users and old fans alike, are already starting to feel the sentiment behind the old phrase “too much of a good thing” and eyes are starting to roll.
There isn’t a spot on the internet you can go where Pokemon GO won’t find you. If people get sick of the brand, especially now while it’s free and hyper-accessible, they might not be willing to dish out $40 for another game. Not to mention, they might also need a new system to play it on. Nintendo’s cheaper alternative, the 2DS, starts at $80, but only four-year-olds are satisfied with that mutated Etch-a-Sketch. People already have smartphones — that’s what made the app so popular.
(Likewise: people might be so happy with the app, they won’t even feel like they need the new game.)
Existing Pokemon fans’ loyalty knows no bounds. We’ve been around for twenty years and counting, but there’s an important distinction to be made between Pokemon GO and Pokemon DS games. I’m not even talking about how one has an actual plot where the other one’s endgame is calorie burning.
Much like Angry Birds and Temple Run, the success of Pokemon GO says more about people’s relationships with their phones than it does with how much people want to catch little purple rats and celebrate the lifestyle that is being a Pokemon trainer.
Pokemon as a brand is a long-term investment, but Pokemon GO is a fad. It’s not going to boost Pokemon Sun and Moon sales because anyone who was already planning to buy Pokemon Sun and Moon is going to get it anyway and anyone who didn’t have a clue prior to the release of Pokemon GO isn’t going to be won over by this game. The ingenuity behind Pokemon GO is fascinating, but the fundamentals of the app have a long way to go before they’re on par with the traditional games.
And let’s be real — just because it has Pokemon on it doesn’t mean it’s a guaranteed knockout. See: Pokemon Snap, Pokken Tournament, and any of the Pokemon Mystery Dungeon titles. Oh, yeah, and how about all those Pokemon trading cards, hmm?
My point is, if you happen to be more excited for the release of Pokemon Sun and Moon, it’s because you’re desperately missing something that Pokemon GO lacks, and that’s heart.
And without heart, nobody’s going to be jumping at the chance to play other Pokemon titles moving forward.
Pokemon Sun and Moon will be released November 2016. Hopefully by then, the internet will have recovered.
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