Pokemon Will Remain Committed To Handhelds, Game Freak Developer Asserts

Pokemon games have remained exclusive to Nintendo handhelds- the mainline titles have never once shown up on Nintendo’s home consoles, and the franchise has stayed true to its affinity to handheld devices. Of course, that may yet change with the Nintendo NX, which is rumored to get a Pokemon game– but even there, that’s probably because the NX is also rumored to be a handheld and home console hybrid.

And indeed, if Pokemon ever shows up on NX, it will be because the NX has some mobility to its form factor. In an interview with EDGE, Game Freak’s Junichi Masuada, who directed all Pokemon games from Ruby/Sapphire to X/Y, confirmed that the franchise and its vision remains best suited to handhelds.

“When coming up with the idea of Pokémon, what we really wanted to create was something where people could get together and have fun trading, battling, showing off their Pokémon collection, and just talking about their own adventures with the game. Handheld consoles and devices offer us the best way to achieve this vision,” Masuada said. “We want Pokémon to be a means of communication. What I really want to do is to connect people, then help them form great memories by experiencing these distributions and such in certain places. I think of it like having a meal. By itself, a meal is usually pretty forgettable – it can be hard to even remember what you had for lunch yesterday! But if you go for a meal with a close friend at a restaurant you love, you’ll remember that meal for a long time. I want to give people memorable Pokémon experiences with one another.”

I can understand and respect his reasons, of course- but that does nothing for my thirst to play Pokemon on a big screen. Hopefully that changes soon, with the NX.

For now, I am looking forward to Pokemon Sun/Moon, which are due out on November 18, exclusively on the Nintendo 3DS.