It’s a question that many people do actually ask, and we’ve been asked this question on a few occasions. It tends to pop up fairly often when a new Pokémon game is about to be released.
Pokémon, alongside Mario, has been Nintendo’s babies and have done exceptionally well with their franchises since they were first released.
We all have memories of Pokémon, especially if you were a 90’s kid. Whether you collected the cards or played the old Red, Green, or Yellow editions on the GameBoy.
From there the game franchise has moved. Obviously being a 90’s kid I’m keener toward the original Pokémon, such as Pikachu, Squirtle, Charmander, etc.
When Pokémon Let’s Go was released, it forced my hand to buy a Nintendo Switch – just to play that game. And it was well worth it. I sold the Switch shortly after, but the experience of Let’s Go was amazing. I spent hours just reliving my childhood but with updated graphics, gameplay, and different things to do.
The fact I could take my Pokémon from Pokémon Go and bring them into the game meant (without cheats) I had all the starter Pokémon plus Pikachu.
I’m already tempted to buy another Switch just to play it again, damnit.
Pokémon Let’s Go, and the latest Sword and Shield games work perfectly with the Switch, and they sell well because of it. The games are specifically made for that particular console, and I’ll be honest – it was great to play Let’s Go on a bigger screen.
So when it comes to the PlayStation and Xbox, it’s difficult. Both of those have their exclusives which in turn brings in sales to their respective companies, Sony and Microsoft.
It’s one of the things that push your decision when choosing which console to buy – the exclusives. PS has Spider-Man, God of War, and others. Xbox has Forza, Halo, and others, and obviously, Nintendo has Pokémon, Mario, Zelda, etc too.
In a cash way, it would never make sense for Nintendo to release Pokémon games on cross-generation consoles, but they could – because they have other exclusives which are bigger than Pokémon, including the aforementioned Zelda and Mario.
Another reason why is because Pokémon is exclusive, it means that people are somewhat pushed into purchasing a console that’s still valued at £280 for the full version, or around £150 for the Lite. So, whilst the game itself would make more sales because of the multi-platform, it’s obvious Nintendo would lose out on quite a number of console sales.
In a business aspect, it doesn’t make sense, but as a gamer above all else, it does. The possibilities are endless with Pokémon games across all major platforms. Even then, they don’t even need to release the new Pokémon games on PS or Xbox, they could even port the older ones across that have been out on the Switch for a considerable amount of time.
I don’t see any harm in Nintendo releasing Pokémon Let’s Go for PS and Xbox in 2021. I can’t imagine the game sells much anymore, and it’s unlikely there’s a vast majority of people purchasing a console simply for Let’s Go.
Whereas if they now port it, the game will most likely sell like crazy thus meaning Nintendo will make more money, and the gamers get a Pokémon for the very first time on a console that’s not Nintendo, or a PC emulator.
Ultimately, the question in the article is yes, they should, but I believe in order for Nintendo to stay as a solid competitor then it should only be the older games.
And yes, as a PlayStation fan and owner – I believe Sony should do the same with their exclusives, like Xbox. Release them on the intended platform first, then a year, maybe 2 or 3 later, they should be ported over.
We’re all gamers. We all game for fun and to be entertained. Exclusives are a great way for the companies to drive in console sales (which in turn can bring in more due to accessories) but I can’t see how it would damage a product or brand by releasing them later.
As I’m tempted to buy a Switch for Let’s Go again, I can’t bring myself to spend over £280 (I like the big screen aspect over the Lite) plus money for the game. Whereas if it was announced on the PS Store, I’d pre-order it the moment it was available.
In the end though, what do I know? I don’t know how the actual business aspects work and I can only speculate as a fan from the distance, and bare in mind – this is just my OWN opinion. This article isn’t a push for it, but merely just what the possibility could be.
