Nintendo NX 'Changes The Concept' Of Console And Hand-Held, Pokémon Games In The Works
Pokémon Company's Tsunekazu Ishihara has said they're making new Pokémon games for Nintendo's upcoming NX console, which is looking to change things up.
"The NX is trying to change the concept of what it means to be a home console device or a hand-held device. We will make games for the NX," declared Tsunekazu Ishihara to the Wall Street Journal.
Pokémon has a long history with Nintendo having had a presence since the original Pokémon Blue and Red cartridges for the original Gameboy, before eventually expanding to the newer iterations and of course jumping later to the DS and 3DS.
With Pokémon GO you might think they'd stick to iOS and Android from now on considering their combined market presence, but Pokémon Company isn't turning away from dedicated hand-held platforms or home consoles.
Pokémon is noticeably absent from home consoles although there have been some outings, like Pokémon Stadium or Pokémon Snap for Nintendo 64 as examples.
The latest in the core series has been Sun and Moon but the upcoming Nintendo NX provides a unique opportunity for Pokémon Company to get back into consoles because of the approach Nintendo is taking with their new hardware. It remains to be seen whether the NX will be home to the next major instalment or a spin-off.
President Tsunekazu Ishihara was also surprised by how well Pokémon GO has done, and also mentioned they were giving serious thought to adding in one-on-one battles to the casual game. Currently battles are conducted at gyms with the AI as an opponent.
"I feel like the reaction we saw was 10 times or even 100 times bigger than we expected," he said. "Battling is a category that we do best at Pokémon, after all... it's important to really carefully consider any feature that may increase the difficulty and raise the barrier to entry for more casual users."
China is an ideal expansion for Pokémon GO but Ishihara warned that restrictions on Google Maps in the region was causing problems as it relies heavily on the service.
Nintendo NX will be releasing around March 2017 but there won't be any Pokémon launch titles ready. The NX is a hybrid of home console and hand-held.
Pokémon Sun and Moon releases on 3DS November 18th in the US, 23rd in Europe.
