A new short-form anime series from Pokemon has been gaining attention from players across social media thanks to its slice-of-life insight into the Pokemon world, revealing an interesting new direction for a potential Pokemon spin-off. With short-form videos now one of the most successful and popular forms of online content, it is no surprise that prominent gaming franchises like Pokemon would try to capitalize on the medium. Among Pokemon‘s official content across its TikTok and YouTube Shorts platforms, one series in particular has led players to express their interest in a similarly styled spin-off Pokemon game.
Starting back in 2024, Pokemon‘s “PokeMinutes” anime series currently consists of more than a dozen short videos, each one typically showcasing a casual moment between humans and their Pokemon. While the main focus of the franchise’s games has centered around catching and battling Pokemon, there has always been curiosity about the day-to-day lives of people and their Pokemon within the world of Pokemon. Prompted by player demand from its PokeMinutes series, Game Freak or a third-party developer could potentially explore this slice-of-life side to its Pokemon games with a new spin-off project.
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Between the success of Animal Crossing: New Horizons and Pokemon Concierge, Pokemon has everything it needs for its own social sim spin-off game.
Pokemon’s PokeMinutes Highlights Its Slice-of-Life Spin-Off Potential
Though PokeMinutes’ videos focus on many areas of daily living within Pokemon‘s world, a specific few of these, like the one shown below, serve as ideal examples of the franchise’s potential for a life or pet sim-like game.
PokeMinutes’ videos like this one and others have received numerous comments suggesting, or even outright requesting, that Pokemon base a spin-off game on the series’ slice-of-life style. Given how fan comments on the videos suggest the topic, with some even receiving thousands of likes, it is clear that there is significant player demand for this kind of Pokemon spin-off.
Pokemon Could Take Inspiration From Nintendogs, Story of Seasons, And More
Based on the comments on PokeMinutes’ videos shown above, many players have pointed out the existing potential Pokemon already has should it take notes from other social, pet, and life sim games. While the series hasn’t seen a new game since the Nintendo 3DS, Nintendogs could arguably provide the best foundation for a slice-of-life Pokemon spin-off, with gameplay revolving around feeding, bathing, and playing with Pokemon. For example, the above video with Yamper playing fetch and interacting with their trainer is a dead ringer for Nintendogs’ own pet sim gameplay.
However, in addition to Nintendogs, the resurgence in popularity of sim games like Stardew Valley and Story of Seasons could inspire a different kind of Pokemon spin-off. For instance, by expanding on past games and features like My Pokemon Ranch or in-game daycare, Pokemon could create a similar sim game that allows players to build their own ranches, rear Pokemon livestock, and support the farming community. With farming already having been a prominent part of both Pokemon‘s anime and games as well, this could be the ideal basis for a potential sim spin-off game.
A Slice-of-Life Game Could Be Perfect For Pokemon Right Now
Thanks to the success of Pokemon‘s more recent spin-offs, such as Pokemon GO, Pokemon Unite, and New Pokemon Snap, the franchise should carry this momentum over to a new slice-of-life sim game. Combined with player demand, a Pokemon sim spin-off could help be a breath of fresh air for the franchise by pulling players away from its rinse-and-repeat formula of gyms and battles towards the cozier, wholesome side of Pokemon. While the likes of Pokemon Legends: Z-A and its tenth generation are on the horizon, Pokemon should stop overlooking its long-standing potential for slice-of-life spin-off games.
Pokémon Legends: Z-A is an ambitious new entry to the Pokémon video game series, releasing simultaneously worldwide in 2025. A new adventure awaits within Lumiose City, where an urban redevelopment plan is underway to shape the city into a place that belongs to both people and Pokémon.
