Just curious what other people's opinion on the state of Pokemon at the moment. I haven't been on Serebii in a while which I find kind of sad because I really like this website. I just feel like Pokemon has been pretty quiet for a while now. Sure we got Arceus back in January and we got a little bit of news back in February but it seems like I've kind of lost interest in Pokemon ever since Sword and Shield came out. Didn't pick up BDSP or Legends and I'm not interested in the mobile offerings but that's probably just me. I feel like the TCG is losing a little bit of popularity too but that's probably because value has gone down for the recent sets.
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Has Pokemon lost a little bit of its attraction?
Bolt the Cat
Bringing the Thunder
I think you may be in the minority on that. Actually I think a lot of people have felt that Legends Arceus has reinvigorated the series and has given the series a much needed evolution. Interesting to hear that you didn't like Legends, you might want to elaborate on why.
As for me in particular, I didn't like the direction Pokemon was going in from XY to LGPE (and even BW played a part in this direction as well, but I did like BW2 as that felt like it had more in common with previous games). The games were getting too linear, too easy/casual focused, and too devoid of content. SwSh and especially LA have felt like a reversal of this direction though. The games have started opening up and transitioning to open world and they seem to be trying to balance the difficulty for both casual and hardcore players now. The content could still use some improvement, but everything else is an improvement over the 3DS era and even the DS era in some ways. And it's too early to tell, but SV seem like they're taking this even further with the game being open world (hopefully that brings with it even more exciting evolutions such as being able to go anywhere you want or fight any gym leader you want from the start). So no, I feel the opposite, I think Pokemon has actually gained a little bit of its appeal back recently.
As for me in particular, I didn't like the direction Pokemon was going in from XY to LGPE (and even BW played a part in this direction as well, but I did like BW2 as that felt like it had more in common with previous games). The games were getting too linear, too easy/casual focused, and too devoid of content. SwSh and especially LA have felt like a reversal of this direction though. The games have started opening up and transitioning to open world and they seem to be trying to balance the difficulty for both casual and hardcore players now. The content could still use some improvement, but everything else is an improvement over the 3DS era and even the DS era in some ways. And it's too early to tell, but SV seem like they're taking this even further with the game being open world (hopefully that brings with it even more exciting evolutions such as being able to go anywhere you want or fight any gym leader you want from the start). So no, I feel the opposite, I think Pokemon has actually gained a little bit of its appeal back recently.
Thanks for the response. I figured I was probably in the minority since I haven’t played the latest games. I guess I just feel like either the replayability has diminished or people aren’t talking about arceus much anymore. It feels like Pokémon games from the past had more staying power where games from today, you finish the game, and that’s it (that’s probably just because I haven’t played them though).
It’s not that I didn’t like Arceus, I just haven’t played it. I did miss the inclusion of gyms though. I’m hoping they sort of go like the Breath of the Wild route in the core games where you can go to the last gym at the beginning of the game if you want. You’ll probably die but sure you can go there (also keep the effect of badges making your Pokémon listen to you).
Pokefan_1987
Avid Pokemon TCG Card collector.
I think it's quite the opposite, dexit may have been a divisive move but it's still strong as ever.
Bolt the Cat
Bringing the Thunder
I think it's because SV overshadowed it. They released LA and then one month later announced the next game, so attention has shifted. But since we know very little about SV at this point, there's little to talk about (probably not the best marketing strategy, but their funeral). Once we get that second trailer (probably this month or next month), then discussion will pick back up, that's usually when we start getting concrete details on what to really expect from that game.
The Head Honchkrow
Well-Known Member
I felt this after Sw/Sh, which was a bit disappointing to me. I did have some interest in BD/SP and Arceus, but I ended up not playing them.
All that said, I do like the direction S/V appear to be going in, and even though the run-up to Sw/Sh was pretty awful for the fanbase, it did put a lot of things about the franchise into perspective for me.
All that said, I do like the direction S/V appear to be going in, and even though the run-up to Sw/Sh was pretty awful for the fanbase, it did put a lot of things about the franchise into perspective for me.
Yeah. I guess it’s just a slow time for the Pokémon company right now. I feel like we had more new by this time with Sw/Sh though.
Bolt the Cat
Bringing the Thunder
We didn't. At this point in the year all we knew about were the starters and a few clips of the region. We didn't get the second trailer until the Pokemon Direct on June 5th and that's when we started getting details on mechanics like the Wild Area and Dynamax, and story details such as some of the key characters (Hop, Leon, Magnolia, Sonia) and some of the new Pokemon. It's actually very common that we know almost nothing about the game from February to April and then we get the big blowout in May/June. I did a comparison with some of the past games here:
https://forums.serebii.net/threads/...eculation-thread.695062/page-46#post-19378050
Basically this is always a slow time of year for Pokemon news, it's not indicative of Pokemon losing popularity. Once that second trailer comes discussion should explode.
Captain Jigglypuff
*On Vacation. Go Away!*
The series as a whole has some slumps but as soon as any new games are released (new Gen or remakes), interest in the series pick up rather quickly and keep players occupied for a good couple of month. Players are less enthusiastic about BDSP and the SwSh and DLC hype is pretty much over now but Legends Arceus is a great distraction until SV are released as there is so much to discover in the game and so much to do.
Blackjack Gabbiani
Clearly we're great!
It's more active now even during slow times than it was during the end of gen 3. Things were pretty barren around that time and that's what I think of as a low point. Even though gen 3 was pretty well liked, it seemed like the original audience was moving on at that point.
Captain Jigglypuff
*On Vacation. Go Away!*
I noticed that too on another forum. There were people still interested in the TCG and anime but the games were not being discussed as much. I think it wasn’t until HGSS and Platinum before interest in the games started to pick up again. You might have seen one or two messages asking for online trades and battles in DP but that is really it.
OshyHikari
c l a r i t y
The series did go into a slump during Gen 3 due to PokéMania ending and most players moving on from the franchise. Gen 4 did seem to get a boost with online trading and battling coupled with D/P being one of the top 5 highest selling games in the series. Gen 5 suffered a small slump again due to divided fan reaction, but then Gen 6 and even moreso Pokémon GO managing to win back most of those who had once stopped playing. The Switch era in particular is now likely going down as the most record-breaking era of Pokémon with the fastest-selling launch periods and Gen 8 being the most successful generation commercially since PokéMania ended.
nel3
Crimson Dragon
for me it has to an extent. i got BW 2 last year?? didnt really put much into it. 2nd hand/old save files still active. havent playes sword in a while. same for BD and legends. dont have the time or drive to play that much. the pokemon bank/home transfer is part of it but the steady thing i do have is trying to max out berries in my X file as its gonna take a while and isnt too time intensive to setup/farm.
TwilightBlade
Well-Known Member
For me kind of I guess? I don't play the new games as much as I did the older ones and I don't keep track of the cartoon or any other part of the franchise. :[
Leonhart
Imagineer
Admittedly I don't find the newer Switch games to be particularly original or appealing, but I wouldn't say I've lost interest in the series per se. Certain eras of the franchise just don't appeal to me much. It's happened before, but it's not a sign that the "attraction" is gone completely.
janejane6178
Kaleido Star FOREVER in my heart <3
I didn’t replay swsh and sm as much as I did for past gen games…
And I don’t feel like replaying it anytime soon
And I don’t feel like replaying it anytime soon
Pokefan_1987
Avid Pokemon TCG Card collector.
It's kinda the opposite for me, finding everything and unlocking everything was a real pain despite being good. But it still feels like a big mistake to replay it. I'm not doing a third USUM playthrough anytime soon.
Certain bosses such as Araquanid (This thing is way too strong early on).......Togedemaru (I hate how that rat almost reads my mind when i try to attack) Totem Kommo-O is also annoying without Toxic stalling *It has Poison Jab against Primarina players) The fights against Faba and his Hypnosis spam.
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masdog
What is the airspeed of an unladen Swellow?
I think Pokémon is stronger than ever. As @OshyHikari said, Pokémon GO and the Switch games have been doing very well. The TCG was incredibly popular during the pandemic (to the point where some stores had to stop selling it because people were literally pulling guns on other shoppers who got the last packs of cards).
My interest in Pokémon has wained a little. Part of that is due to life returning to normal and having less time to play. I have a few half-finished replays that I still need to finish.
My interest in Pokémon has wained a little. Part of that is due to life returning to normal and having less time to play. I have a few half-finished replays that I still need to finish.
OshyHikari
c l a r i t y
GO, Sw/Sh, BD/SP and LA’s record breaking figures can likely be attributed to the accessibility of mobile devices and the Switch being Nintendo’s highest selling console, and being one of the most innovative consoles ever made. Something incredible would have to be done for a future console to top anywhere close to the Switch’s figures. GO even caused what could be considered a second wave of PokéMania, albeit unfortunately during the time only Kanto Pokémon existed in the game, further proving Gen 1’s point as being on a higher pedestal than other generations.
You could even argue Gen 8’s success as a whole was because of it being the first true generation to be on a home console and not a handheld, as LGP/LGE was just one game and not all of Gen 7. And remember that GF staff once thought the Switch would flop due to the accessibility of mobile devices.