News of Pokémon Pokopia’s runaway success is old news now, with the game’s strong launch sales working quite well in Koei Tecmo’s favor. What’s new is that its President and CEO, Hisashi Koinuma, has recently commented on what it’s meant to the team and to him, opinions that are more than just heartwarming but a potential indicator of what the studio is planning next on the spinoff front.
Speaking to Famitsu, he stated that Pokopia is quite high among the studio’s list of successful collaborative efforts with other talented studios, talking about how the original goal was to make it a bestseller. That said, there weren’t very high expectations for how far it could really go.
“From among our spin-off titles, I do feel a strong sense of accomplishment. We worked to make it the best-selling spin-off game, but before launch there weren’t any real expectations (laughs). However, directly ahead of launch, lots of overseas media played it and rated it very highly, and then I felt it spread from there.”
It isn’t really a surprise considering how addictive this one can get, and the strong endgame it brings long after you’re done with the 20-30 hour story. Of course, Koinuma was asked whether this bodes well for future spin-off titles, and he pointed to successful past collaborations that have been beneficial and educational for all stakeholders involved.
Of course, that’s rather enigmatic and perhaps a carefully maneuvered statement to conceal what might be the early stages of potential follow-ups, which is what we’re choosing to believe until there are more official announcements on the subject. In the meantime, there’s that expansion in August to look forward to, if nothing else.
