Let’s take this rumour with a large grain of salt, but it’s being reported that Pokemon on Switch is set to be released this year with two titles on the way.
Images leaked on 4Chan are the basis for the rumour along with statements from Emily Rogers made on her blog.
The success of Pokemon GO, which say Nintendo’s share price skyrocket, seems to be at the forefront of the rumours, with even Rogers stating that;
Think about what Pokémon Go might mean for the future of the Pokémon series. I suspect that the naming/branding for this year’s Pokémon Switch title (there’s two versions) might raise a few eyebrows.
The leak on 4Chan claims the Pokemon Switch games coming this year are called Pokemon Let’s GO! Pikachu Edition and Pokémon Let’s GO! Eevee Edition.
There are scant details on what these games will involve or what players will be doing, but the inclusion of GO certainly suggests that we are set for a radical departure from what we’re used to with Pokemon.
Rogers blog notes;
In July 2016, Pokémon Go launched, and became a massive phenomenon, having been downloaded more than 500 million times worldwide by the end of that year. Then, by 2017, overall download numbers increased to over 750 million a year.
This all leads to a much bigger question: What lessons should Game Freak and Nintendo learn from Pokémon Go’s success? How could Switch benefit from Pokémon Go’s success, and how could Pokémon Go benefit from Switch’s success?
It seems unlikely that a Pokemon game on Switch would rely on people going outside and walking around, though it’s clear that Nintendo is willing to take risks with the Pokemon brand. It’s strong enough to take whatever Nintendo throws at it and fans are likely to buy the games no matter what they are.
Finally, whether or not the 4Chan leak is real, Rogers has said that we will see a Pokemon reveal before the end of May.
As we wait for an announcement on the upcoming Pokémon title, which will be revealed before the end of this month
We know that Nintendo is working on Pokemon Switch, but we still have no idea what form it will take.
What do you think of Pokemon Let’s GO! Pikachu Edition and Pokémon Let’s GO! Eevee Edition?
