With the likes of Skylanders and Disney’s own Infinity series moving into the collectible creature market as of late - with predictably profitable results — the Pokémon cash machine is beginning to look just a little behind the times. Having already produced mountains of merchandise throughout the franchise’s 17-year existence, the move into paid in-game figurines and post-release DLC should seem like an absolute no-brainer for the folks at Pokémon HQ.
Not so, insists Pokémon art director Ken Sugimori, speaking this week with Far Eastern games outlet 4Gamer magazine. Asked whether the company was considering paid Pokémon DLC, following the release of the wildly successful and critically acclaimed Pokémon X & Y this October, Sugimori stated:
Sugimori continued by describing the role of The Pokémon Company as one of stringent quality control, meaning that every Pokémon product approved must first pass muster as having provided some value for money. This latter admission seems to fly in the face of the director’s earlier; outright refusal to tolerate paid Pokémon characters, allowing for the possibility of such content as long as it adheres to company concepts of “value.” Indeed Sugimori even closes out the conversation by stating:
Given the 700+ Pokémon already in existence, it would certainly take some doing to produce a range of pocket monsters worthy of collecting this extra fee. Aside from issues of balancing (paid Pokémon would almost certainly carry rich stat boosts), the biggest issue obstructing such a move is, as Sugimori suggests, the possibility of fan upheaval. Would fans really stand for a suite of higher quality character designs appearing post-release?
Is restraint the key to Pokémon’s enduring success, or a barrier to renewed superstardom? What parts of the Pokémon formula do you believe are beginning to creak with old age? Have your say in the comments below and be sure to check in with all of the latest Pokémon news, right here on Game Rant.
The latest Pokémon titles, Pokémon X & Y were released earlier this month for Nintendo 3DS.
Follow Sam on Twitter @GamingGoo.
Source: Siliconera
