"There’s a newfound realism of their setting": Pokemon COO on latest game offerings

Pokemon is the highest-grossing multimedia franchise in history, and Takato Utsunomiya is one of the many executives responsible for keeping it that way. The franchise's chief operating officer recently sat down for an interview with The Guardian to speak on the future of the franchise and the capability of the recent Nintendo Switch titles. He said of the games:

"There’s a newfound realism of their setting."

Utsunomiya is often seen in Pokemon Presents' livestreams when major franchise news is announced. He has become one of the faces of the franchise after creator Satoshi Tajiri stepped away in 2012.

Since then, Pokemon has retained a massive fanbase and record-setting sales numbers, but according to Utsunomiya, there's more work to make the series more encompassing.

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Pokemon's Takato Utsunomiya discusses past games and the franchise's future

Utsunomiya discussed the criticisms of Scarlet and Violet during his interview (Image via Game Freak)

During his interview with The Guardian, Utsunomiya not only discussed recent criticisms of the Pokemon series (particularly pertaining to the Scarlet and Violet games) but also the future of the franchise as a whole across games, animation, and more. He remarked that he spent every day thinking about Pocket Monsters, including how new and appealing species could be made.

The rocky launch of the Scarlet/Violet games was mentioned by The Guardian, which pointed to the various in-game bugs and performance issues that resulted in backlash from fans. Be that as it may, the games went on to sell over 23 million copies.

Utsonomiya addressed the controversy, but likely not in the way that players had hoped he would, stating:

"Regardless of whether we publicly respond, we’re always paying very close attention to the feedback and conversations happening in the communities. There are certain aspects where we can’t always be 100% aligned with what parts of the community are asking for and what we want to provide.

"But we do this with the desire to keep Pokemon going for a very long time, and I believe that the fans and players are aligned with us in that respect."

Though Scarlet and Violet had their fair share of blowback, Utsunomiya remarked that the two titles and Legends: Arceus were huge stepping stones for immersion. He stated that making environments where creatures can create living spaces, hunt for food, and socialize was a huge paradigm for the developers at Game Freak going forward:

"We really try to treat them like living creatures; you see them in the game and how they’re behaving there … In the original games, there’s quite a gap between the descriptions in the Pokedex and what you actually saw in the game. But starting with Legends: Arceus and Scarlet/Violet, you see Bidoof creating dens in the game, and you have Pokemon traveling in packs.

"So, there’s a newfound realism of their setting. When it comes to delivering the descriptions seen in the original Pokedex … there’s a lot more we can do there."

It's tough to argue with that assessment, as the titular creatures are certainly behaving much more independently than they once did compared to their handheld gaming roots.

However, Utsunomiya's quote makes it clear that future titles will have an additional emphasis on the natural world and wild Pocket Monster interactions, as well as the creation of new species designs.

Utsunomiya continued:

"I do think we can continue to create lots and lots of new Pokemon, and really we must create more appealing Pokemon if we want to continue passing on Pokemon to the next generations. Coming up with new Pokemon ideas is an area that Game Freak really excels in. People who grew up playing Pokemon as kids are now entering Game Freak and are on those teams, creating new Pokemon and coming up with new ideas."

It's true that some fans have been less than pleased with the designs of new Pocket Monsters in recent generations. However, the franchise sports a massive fanbase, one that has expanded beyond young players and has seen a flux of new supporters of various ages. Apps like GO and Sleep were likely huge drivers of this shift as they introduced the series to everyday people.

GO, in particular, was a massive hit for the franchise during its Summer 2016 debut, as it roped in entire families, some of whom had no real connection to video games or the Pocket Monsters series beforehand.

Utsunomiya stated that introducing the series' creatures into different forms of media and applications would be key to expanding the fanbase and ensuring its long-term success:

"If we can add a bit of entertainment to an aspect of daily life you have to do anyway, there’s an opportunity there [laughs]."

Utsunomiya made no secret about the franchise being popular in Japan and North America/Europe but stated that his aim at the company was to expand the IP into new regions while incorporating their cultures and values. All told, the COO said that he wanted to ensure that the franchise would endure for a century or more with a steady eye on bringing the series to as many people as possible.

Considering that its joint owner, Nintendo, has existed for over 100 years itself, it may not be too much of a stretch to think that The Pokemon Company can do the same. Despite its criticisms by some fans, the multimedia franchise at large has only grown in popularity since 1996, and Utsunomiya is dedicated to keeping that momentum in the decades to come.