The Pokemon Company has made it clear time and time again in recent years that, when it comes to video games, the brand’s future goes further than home consoles. While mainline titles are still going to launch exclusively for Nintendo hardware, spin-offs like GO, Unite, Masters, Pocket, and the newly announced Champions are all available on smartphones.
But when it comes to Champions, it will follow in the footsteps of Unite as it arrives on both consoles and smartphones, with development being overseen by Game Freak itself while the team over at newly formed Pokemon Works will be piecing the game together. From all that we saw in the reveal trailer, Champions appears to focus entirely on the battling side of the series with live-action footage following players throughout the generations before it finally lands on a woman playing this brand-new experience on her smartphone.
Please Don’t Let Pokemon Champions Be A Gacha Nightmare
Folks have always been competitive when it comes to playing Pokemon against each other, and these encounters have been commonplace ever since link cables were introduced for the Game Boy Color. You could link up with a friend’s console to trade Pokemon or jump into battles to put your finely assembled teams to the test. Every generation has introduced new elements to this experience, growing in complication and variety to the point where full communities have sprung up to immerse themselves in this part of the Pokemon ecosystem.
I’ve never been a very competitive player, but I can appreciate the love people have for this and how The Pokemon Company has seen fit to create an entirely new game to focus on it. As we saw from the reveal trailer, Pokemon Champions will be launching on both Nintendo Switch and modern smartphones, and it seems the act of playing the game will be more or less identical on both platforms. This also leads me to believe that Champions will wind up being free-to-play much like Unite, allowing players to hop in without spending a penny and then choose if they want to get truly invested. I just hope it’s executed in a way that doesn’t try to nickel and dime us, especially when Pokemon Home support is confirmed and eager players will theoretically be able to transfer their existing rosters without any obstacles.
What Does Champions Mean For The Future Of Stadium And Colosseum?
But I sincerely hope it doesn’t construct roadblocks for the free-to-play customers to deal with purely in the pursuit of increasing profits. By all means, introduce founder’s packs or battle passes, or seasonal updates, but not if it hinders the spirit of Pokemon at this title’s core. Given it also focuses entirely on battles, I’m also curious to learn if this will replace future possibilities of Stadium or Colosseum making a return. If Champions is all about the bombastic art of battle and building teams of Pokemon from across generations, surely it deserves to be talked about in the same breath?
“This new, battle-focused game will feature familiar mechanics such as Pokemon types, Abilities, and moves, creating an environment conducive to rich and varied strategies for new and experienced Trainers alike,” reads the YouTube trailer description. This appears to confirm that Champions won’t be especially interested in telling stories or bringing new characters into the Pokemon universe, and will be leaving that to mainline entries as it focuses on a fresh yet familiar battle experience. If I can jump into Champions and after minutes of play feel at home with its mechanics, it will be a surefire hit for me and many others. But will its battle system be conducive to other future games, or adopt its own unique meta and roster that can’t be seen anywhere else? Lots of questions need answers.
One of my favourite parts about Pokemon Colosseum was the world it allowed us to explore and the story it had to tell, but I can definitely see how core parts of that could be watered down to focus entirely on competitive multiplayer.
I hope it finds a sweet spot between dedicated competitive play and telling stories with characters we already know and love. They might only accompany us through dialogue boxes as we do battle with fellow players and NPCs, or act as narrative links when seasons roll around. I just worry that without these trimmings Pokemon Champions may feel lifeless, and that’s the last thing I want from Pokemon after Pocket felt like being stuck in a hospital waiting room. If Champions is going to replace any chance of future Colosseum or Pokemon titles, I want them to at least recapture their spirit while walking down the path of live service.