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The Pokemon franchise remains the highest-grossing series of its kind in history, and it deserves credit on the financial front. However, fans have had their criticisms or have at least asked that the minds behind the franchise consider certain actions for 2024. Some demands have persisted for years, while others have only cropped up recently in response to decisions made in 2023.
While The Pokemon Company has its own plans for the long-term continuation of the franchise at large, it doesn't hurt to take fan feedback into account. Taking every suggestion as gospel would certainly cause some issues, but the community's advice can go a long way in keeping Pocket Monsters in the international lexicon for the foreseeable future.
Note: This list is subjective and solely reflects the opinions of the writer
5 things the Pokemon franchise should consider in 2024
1) Expansion of Generation IX
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, divisive as they were, introduced some new paradigms to the series that fans appreciated. However, these two titles shouldn't be the sole representative of the ninth generation of Pocket Monsters games.
It's likely that Game Freak is already developing new Gen IX titles, but fans have some suggestions as to what they'd like to see, including:
- Dialogue options that can influence the course of story events.
- The return of Mega Evolutions.
- Some form of difficulty settings, as many longtime players have lamented recent titles have grown progressively easier.
- A continuation of new variants of existing 'mons as seen with Paradox creatures and Paldea's ecological divergences like Wiglett, Toedscool, Poltchageist, etc.
- Improved co-op multiplayer functionality.
- Most of all, performance improvements to ensure stable framerates and visual quality that is up to par with similar releases on the same platform.
Some of these requests may be bigger than others, but building upon what worked in Scarlet and Violet (and avoiding what didn't) should give Generation IX a more solid reputation among the fandom.
2) Keep the remakes in motion
Remakes have been pretty polarizing in the gaming community at large. However, there's little doubt that most recent Pokemon remakes have been appreciated by the fandom. Games like Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire and Let's Go! proved to be hits, and the rumored release of a remake for the Black/White titles set in the Unova region could be a huge success.
Game Freak would need to keep its quality control to a high standard for a Unova region remake, especially considering how beloved the Black/White games and their sequels are in retrospect, but the opportunity is there for the taking.
Regardless, remaking past generations has proven fruitful for the most part, and The Pokemon Company would be wise to keep that in mind.
3) The debut/announcement of a new animated film
The adventures of Ash Ketchum and Pikachu seem to be at an end for the time being, but that hasn't stopped the production of animated Pokemon properties. Feature-length animated films have been a sizable portion of the franchise's continued success, and neglecting them due to the absence of a decades-long protagonist wouldn't be ideal.
Pokemon Horizons has dutifully picked up the torch in the anime continuity, and it might not be a bad idea to declare intent for a film centered around the series. Perhaps Ash could even return in some capacity to lend Liko, Roy, and the Rising Volt Tacklers a hand. After all, you can't keep a master trainer like Ash Ketchum down for long.
Moreover, if an anime film is out of the question, there's always the prospect of a Detective Pikachu sequel or other movies that lend themselves more toward CGI and 3D animation.
4) Bringing more entries to Nintendo Switch Online
Nintendo's stance on emulating its intellectual property is well-known and documented. However, the Nintendo Switch Online service has given the company the ability to cash in on older games.
Certain Pokemon titles have already made their way to the online emulator, but they tend to be spin-offs like the Trading Card Game, Puzzle League, as well as Snap and the Stadium series.
Countless fans will likely continue to emulate Pocket Monsters games without the use of Nintendo's in-house software. However, adding the core Generation I-III games to the Game Boy/Game Boy Advance portions of Nintendo Switch Online would likely entice plenty of players to sign up for the service for the sake of convenience.
5) A fitting anniversary release for Generation II
Pokemon Gold and Silver, the first games in the series' second generation, will be celebrating their 25th anniversary since their November 1999 release in Japan. To this day, the Johto region, from its Pocket Monsters to its story and characters, remains incredibly popular among the franchise's community. Since this is the case, it seems that Generation II is due for some more attention in 2024.
Some Pokefans have speculated that Johto could receive its own spin-off-style title akin to what Let's Go! did for Kanto or Legends: Arceus did for Sinnoh/Hisui. The HeartGold and SoulSilver remakes will also be 15 years old in 2024 since their Japanese debut.
The iron is certainly hot for Game Freak to take advantage of a return to the Johto region for longtime fans while offering a first-time experience for newer players.
