Will their ever be a end to the pokemon franchise?

[GeraldTheTheroiest]

Before i post this short topic, let me say i'm a huge fan of pokemon so don't accuse me of hating on pokemon.

Hey guys this question just popped in my head will pokemon ever have a end to it? I mean while the pokemon games are very fun and enjoyable eventually everything ends right? Their is most likely a point where Nintendo will either milk the franchise for all it is worth, or just decide it's time to retire the franchise. What do you guys think?

 

[Platina Berlitz]

I would hope not, but looking at Black and White with how less popular the region was, and the abundance of remakes...it looks that way? I'm not really sure. Personally, I don't think Pokemon will end until someone is like ¨I literally cannot create another new pokemon out of ____¨

 

[Bulbadon]

I agree with tsatoma. They have the option to make a lot of remakes plus they probably won't stop until they run out of ideas and they could always take a break from the main story and create a spin off as many spin offs are being made today. The only thing in the Pokemon franchise I see ending is the anime but they probably won't stop the anime as long as they make new main games.

 

[New Eden]

I don't feel like it's a matter of if the franchise will ever end, but rather a matter of when. Nintendo has indefinitely abandoned some franchises for the reason being that they can't do anything with them anymore. That said, the time will come where that will happen with Pokemon, but it's not going to be anytime soon. IIRC, it is, second to Mario, the best selling video game franchise in the world, meaning that it's possible that The Pokemon Company has an ever expanding private road-map for the franchise.

 

[bobandbill]

I would hope not, but looking at Black and White with how less popular the region was, and the abundance of remakes...it looks that way? I'm not really sure. Personally, I don't think Pokemon will end until someone is like ¨I literally cannot create another new pokemon out of ____¨

What do you mean by 'how less popular the region was', exactly? Not everyone likes them, but then not everyone likes X&Y, not everyone likes 4th gen, and so forth. What matters is who does like them enough to buy the games, and each set of games each sold in the millions. BW set records, and X&Y did too I believe. So there's no real indication from recent games that the end is approaching imo.

Remakes also isn't an indication to me that the franchise is going worse - they just know that they sell in the millions, and have less work in remaking games than starting from scratched with a brand new region, etc. Other franchises do more in the way of re-releases and remakes than Pokemon as well.

Pokemon stuff will stop being produced when they stop making money. As one of the best selling VG franchises and the continuing trend, that's not going to happen anytime soon imo. There's no sense to retire something that just keeps making money after all.

 

[Brendino]

Unless some horribly bad press comes out surrounding either Nintendo or the Pokemon Company, I can't see them pulling the plug on the franchise anytime in the forseeable future, just because some people think they're "running out of ideas."

The fact is, Pokemon is only 2nd behind the Mario franchise as the best selling video game series, which should be more than enough reason to keep going. And unlike Mario, Pokemon has the anime, manga, TCG, etc. bringing in fans and making them money too, so even if the games themselves aren't as popular in the future, they've got plenty to fall back on.

Actually, I just read an article the other day that outlined the top 150 licensed brands globally, and TPCi was ranked #40, bringing in $1.5 billion in revenue yearly (for comparison, Ford is at #30, NBCUniversal #34, Coca-Cola is #43, NASCAR #56, and General Mills at #60). I don't think many people realize just how much of a global phenomenon Pokemon continues to be, and I'm glad to say it probably won't be going anywhere any time soon.

 

[ShiningHelioptile]

The sad thing is that everything has an end, and that inevitably includes Pokemon. However, I don't see it ending anytime soon, because people love it worldwide and it's one of Nintendo/Game Freak's best selling franchises. I see no reason why would they abandon it so soon unless something unforeseen and awful happens to them, but Pokemon is here to stay for now.

 

[BeachBoy]

Unless some horribly bad press comes out surrounding either Nintendo or the Pokemon Company, I can't see them pulling the plug on the franchise anytime in the forseeable future, just because some people think they're "running out of ideas."

The fact is, Pokemon is only 2nd behind the Mario franchise as the best selling video game series, which should be more than enough reason to keep going. And unlike Mario, Pokemon has the anime, manga, TCG, etc. bringing in fans and making them money too, so even if the games themselves aren't as popular in the future, they've got plenty to fall back on.

Actually, I just read an article the other day that outlined the top 150 licensed brands globally, and TPCi was ranked #40, bringing in $1.5 billion in revenue yearly (for comparison, Ford is at #30, NBCUniversal #34, Coca-Cola is #43, NASCAR #56, and General Mills at #60). I don't think many people realize just how much of a global phenomenon Pokemon continues to be, and I'm glad to say it probably won't be going anywhere any time soon.

Best post. Just, "better than Cola-Cola," and even with their fructose corn syrup problems, people don't see Coke going anywhere anytime soon.

Agree with bobandbill that remakes show no sign that a series is slowing down. People want to keep going. Growing up with Pokemon was absolutely the best, I would love for my kids to experience the same down the road, no matter how many there are.

 

[Polygon-Z]

I can definitely imagine it to keep going, but the thing is is that we haven't really had a situation in which a video game franchise is just forced to stop because of a lack of ideas, or really any other particular reason. Video games are still a relatively young media outlet, and we don't have any sort of outline for when the pokemon franchise may end.
Thankfully, Pokemon is still on the younger side compared to some of Nintendo's bigger franchises, like Mario and Zelda, and so far, both of those franchises are going strong. As long as the interest, creativity and financial support are there, it'll keep going.

 

[Superfox]

I predict that Pokémon isn't going to end until there are at least 12 generations. Of course, I am basing this theory on a huge assumption: that the future of Pokémon lies with the starters.

As fans have noticed/theorized, all of the Fire-type starter Pokémon have been based on animals of the Chinese Zodiac. There are 12 animals in the Chinese Zodiac. So far, we have six: the Dragon, the Rat, the Rooster, the Monkey, the Pig, and the Dog. We still need six more to complete the set: the Rabbit, the Sheep, the Ox, the Snake, the Horse, and the Tiger. Therefore, I believe that there will be at least six more generations of Pokémon.

Of course, that doesn't mean that there will be only six more generations of Pokémon. After they are done with the Zodiac, they might look elsewhere for inspiration in regards to the Fire Starters.

 

[Lusus]

The anime won't stop any time soon, maybe when people stop watching it and realize how repetative and boring it is now.

They honestly just need to make Ash become a champion so we can get a new protagonist to keep things fresh and get rid of Team Rocket, and anime will then be interesting again.

 

[Amore]

Honestly the only way I see it ending is if Nintendo declines yet further. It's losing out completely in the console wars, 3DS is the only thing keeping them up at the moment and if they don't find another major franchise to support that outside of Pokémon and Mario, eventually they'll go bust. But then again its possible in that (Admittedly highly unlikely, and if it occurs, a long way in the future) eventuality that The Pokémon Company would just offer their services to another handheld maker.

 

[ZombieAlpaca]

As fans have noticed/theorized, all of the Fire-type starter Pokémon have been based on animals of the Chinese Zodiac. There are 12 animals in the Chinese Zodiac. So far, we have six: the Dragon, the Rat, the Rooster, the Monkey, the Pig, and the Dog. We still need six more to complete the set: the Rabbit, the Sheep, the Ox, the Snake, the Horse, and the Tiger. Therefore, I believe that there will be at least six more generations of Pokémon.

I had never heard that theory before now, but that's rather interesting!

Anywho, I agree that the franchise won't end anytime soon. Why would it? It's bringing in lots of money and people of all age groups love it! (Examples: My uncle, 76, has a Pocket Monsters [Pokémon] glass he always drinks out of; my mother, 32, watches Pokémon with me and knows a good chunk of the older Pokémon; college and high school kids play the games; my 4 year old brother knows the Kalos starters and a few others) There's no reason to stop the franchise when it's doing so marvelously!

On my boyfriend, Angel's, trip to Japan (Arceus, I wish we had known each other then, I could have gone too!), he met the creator of Pokémon, Satoshi Tajiri. He was given the chance to speak to him and, while he was never told straight up as to whether there would be new regions (my boyfriend's question was if there was ever going to be a Poison type legendary becase he loves Poison type Pokémon), he said that Satoshi hinted at there being more and also saying something like "going back to their origins" ("The world of Pokémon is vast and beautiful, but just like our world, it always comes back to its origins." -Satoshi Tajiri to Angel) This was a a few years back. And now, here we are, awaiting the remake of the Ruby and Sapphire games.

I talked to Angel about this about 30 minutes ago when I found this thread and we agreed that the Ruby and Sapphire remakes are most likely tests so that the company doesn't shame themselves by remaking a terrible version of Kanto, their origin.

Even if there are no more regions, which I'm sure there will be, there will always be something to fall back on. More remakes, Pokémon Ranger games for the new regions, Pokémon Stadium, Mystery Dungeon, etc, etc.

I don't think any of this will end anytime soon, and I'm somewhat eager to see what they'll come out with next.

 

[Jacrad]

I would say that Pokemon, as we know it, will end eventually. Pokemon, much like Mario, has an incredibly iconic presence. It's not unlike how Disney's characters have remained iconic and relevant for close to a century.

But Pokemon is different from both those examples. Because the individual Pokemon games continue to expand with each generation, compounding many of the elements from the previous games. It's not like a Mario game where if a character doesn't appear it's not a big deal. Every single Pokemon is expected to be present. And that causes a large stress on the developers.

While the developers will be able to keep making new and original Pokemon they will have to keep fighting to make the new stuff stay relevant. How are they supposed to draw attention to the new stuff if people have to sift through 2000+ characters? And not only that, but they also have to figure out ways to ensure that everything remains consistent. Imagine if GameFreak forgot that a specific Pokemon can have a specific move that is only obtainable from a Move Tutor several generations ago and then a player transfers it over only to get a bad egg? It'd be terrible.

I genuinely think that sometime in the future GameFreak is going to have to either annex out older Pokemon or do a complete reboot. (Of course keeping Pikachu due to its status as mascot.)

 

[Chimchar]

Well, I believe a large reason why they are remaking Ruby and Sapphire is because it is in large demand. Many people (including myself) never owned a Gameboy. I never played RSE until I started using emulators. However, they always manage to insert new features into every game including the remakes that make the games popular. I wouldn't be surprised to see the franchise continue for a couple more decades. They will be able to make remakes every few years to please the new generation of gamers continually pouring in.

Sorry for my poor formatting. When I type I have absolutely no organization.

 

[Pendraflare]

I myself am rather mixed on the matter. On one hand, I know that Pokémon is a big name franchise that makes millions of dollars. On the other, I honestly would not be too upset if the franchise does end, given we have games with so much variety, like BW2 and XY. As long as future games keep having lots of things to do and Pokémon to use in their adventures, I would still be sold.

It's really for the most part about when Game Freak decides they've had enough Pokémon to give to the world. At least that's how I see it, anyway.

 

[Shiningsuicune]

I predict that Pokémon isn't going to end until there are at least 12 generations. Of course, I am basing this theory on a huge assumption: that the future of Pokémon lies with the starters.

As fans have noticed/theorized, all of the Fire-type starter Pokémon have been based on animals of the Chinese Zodiac. There are 12 animals in the Chinese Zodiac. So far, we have six: the Dragon, the Rat, the Rooster, the Monkey, the Pig, and the Dog. We still need six more to complete the set: the Rabbit, the Sheep, the Ox, the Snake, the Horse, and the Tiger. Therefore, I believe that there will be at least six more generations of Pokémon.

Of course, that doesn't mean that there will be only six more generations of Pokémon. After they are done with the Zodiac, they might look elsewhere for inspiration in regards to the Fire Starters.

There are 2 problems with that, one, Cyndaquil is a porcupine Pokemon, and Fennekin is a Fox, look at its description and it's literally called 'the fox Pokemon'

And about the franchise ending, everything ends eventually and they'll only stop Pokemon when people stop liking it, and considering its popularity, I don't believe it will end anytime soon, thankfully.

 

[Platina Berlitz]

I talked to Angel about this about 30 minutes ago when I found this thread and we agreed that the Ruby and Sapphire remakes are most likely tests so that the company doesn't shame themselves by remaking a terrible version of Kanto, their origin.

But we've had a remake of it for the GBA. Granted that was YEARS ago, but it'll be quite some time before we get a revamped R/B/Y, Honestly.

 

[Dying Light]

First off, I don't think there's been an "abundance" of remakes, if you aren't counting Yellow, Emerald, Platinum, and those sorts. It took them 10 years to start making actual R/S remakes. However, unless people start disliking in large quantities it will never end. Yeah, there's an ending point for everything, but I can imagine my great, great, great, great, great grandchildren playing Pokemon.

I think this has been around the net for awhile, and I might get hated on for this, but I'll leave it here...

 

[Superfox]

There are 2 problems with that, one, Cyndaquil is a porcupine Pokemon

Actually, Cyndaquil's species name classifies it as the "Fire Mouse Pokémon"

and Fennekin is a Fox, look at its description and it's literally called 'the fox Pokemon'

And what are foxes, again? They are animals of several species, which all belong to the Canidae family, a family that includes wolves, jackals, coyotes, and domestic dogs.

Pokémon isn't always literal with the interpretations and inspirations it uses for the species of Pokémon that they create. For example, the Charmander line is probably based on the Dragon, but Charmander itself still looks more like a lizard than a dragon. And Blastoise's name is actually the "Shellfish Pokémon," even though its clearly based off of a turtle and turtles do not belong to that family we know as "shellfish."