An executive at The Pokémon Company claims that Pokémon creators aren’t quite so affected by fan criticism as other video game developers.
During an interview with Axios (via VGC), Pokémon Company director of consumer marketing J.C. Smith explained how Pokémon creators have developed a resistance to fan criticism.
“We have a group of creators and professionals working at the Pokémon Company that have been through a lot – seen, heard [a lot],” he said. “They have thicker skin than many people do because they’ve heard it.”
Some Pokémon fans were particularly annoyed at the release of Pokémon Sword & Shield – criticising the reuse of models from earlier games as well as not being able to find each and every Pokémon in the game.
Fans were pretty vocal about these issues around the release of the games, and while their voices were certainly heard, the Pokémon creators have their own plans and ideas for what the games should be about.
“There’s also a vision for what the creators want to provide, and it’s [a matter of] finding that delicate balance throughout,” said Smith.
Pokémon’s next major titles, Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, are set to launch on November 19 for the Nintendo Switch. The upcoming games are remakes of the original Nintendo DS games, Pokémon Diamond and Pearl.
However, the new version of Diamond and Pearl includes a number of new features, including the Grand Underground – an expanded version of the original Underground section from the original games.
Other new additions include stickers that can be applied to customise your Pokéballs as well as the ability to customise your trainer’s outfit. Players can also choose a Pokémon to follow you as your partner – a feature which has been previously seen in Pokémon Yellow, Pokémon Let’s Go and Pokémon Go.
At the moment, it’s unclear what fans will make of these new features – but it looks as though the devs are ready to bear the brunt of any criticism, regardless.
Meanwhile, GTA: The Trilogy has been temporarily pulled from the PlayStation store after some players were given access 24 hours early.
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