Great news for fans craving even more Pokémon action on the go. DeNA, an experienced mobile game developer, has announced via Twitter that they have partnered with The Pokémon Company to create a new mobile game.
DeNA has a fantastic track record in creating quality mobile games, including the popular Fire Emblem Heroes, Animal Crossing Pocket Camp, and of course, Super Mario Run. They are also currently heavily involved with Nintendo in the development of Mario Kart Tour, which is scheduled to release soon, supposedly this very summer. We say “supposedly” because according to the last deadline for release, it was supposed to drop by March of 2019.
No specific details have been given as to what kind of game this will be, but considering the past releases by the developer, a tactical-strategy title is one possibility. Details should be forthcoming soon though, especially with a current release date of March 2020. With less than a year until that deadline, development must already be well underway.
With regards to both Mario Kart Tour and this untitled Pokémon game, there is a very important question regarding how to price each. This is a crucial question for the company to consider. Nintendo ultimately needs to justify their costs in the development of any game, and so, they have to make money. If they do not make enough, based on however they forecast their sales, then a franchise is in danger of not being supported in the future. It is hard to imagine a well-known franchise like Super Mario or Pokémon not meeting sales expectations, but that is exactly what occurred with Super Mario Run. With the numbers in hand, Nintendo president Tatsumi Kimishima was direct in stating that the game “did not meet [their] expectations” in terms of projected sales. Despite the issue, Kimishima did assert that the pay-once model used there would continue to be used in future projects.
Another option would be to go the route of most mobile games that are “free” by forcing players to watch a commercial or advertisement every so often to continue playing. Other options within a Pokémon universe could be cosmetic sales, similar to how Pokémon Go allows players to purchase different outfits for their avatar.
Until information is made officially available, we can at least rest easy knowing that the development of the next mobile Pokémon game is in the hands of well-experienced developers.
