‘Pokémon NX’: Why The New Nintendo NX Pokémon Game Is So Important

By Apolon Published 09/27/16 EDT

A Pokémon game is coming to the Nintendo NX and it’s being developed by Game Freak. That’s huge, earth-shattering news: Never before has a mainline, full-scale adventure Pokémon game come to consoles and Game Freak is the only company that makes those. It’s a hint that, at long last, console players will have the Pokémon game they’ve always dreamed of. More than that, it’s the best news yet for the Nintendo NX . As Pokémon Go demonstrated , Pokémon can drive excitement like nothing else—and Pokémon NX can sell systems. Millions and millions of systems.

Why Pokémon NX Is The Most Important Nintendo NX Title

The logos for Pokemon Sun and Pokemon Moon Pokemon Company

Until now, the most critical title for the Nintendo NX was Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild—a massive Zelda RPG that’s also being released for the Wii U. It’s the sort of game that gets Nintendo fans all hot and bothered and it certainly will help out the system’s launch a great deal. But it’s not enough on its own to get non-Nintendo loyalists to come back in droves. As for the other launch titles, we don’t know anything yet. Third-party titles, if they manifest, will make the Nintendo NX an easier sell, but it’s the Nintendo exclusives that will really drive attention and interest.

Pokémon NX is different. Pokémon still has an incredible following and gamers have clamored for many years to get a full Pokémon game on the consoles. Nintendo has always demurred, but—perhaps—no longer. And it makes sense: If Nintendo NX is both a console and a handheld, as rumors say, why not offer the next Pokémon game on the system? It makes sense, and it’s been in incredible demand for years.

Nintendo was very wise to tease the upcoming Pokémon NX game—even though it’s not clear whether it will be a launch title. A full Pokémon game on consoles is one of the Holy Grails of gaming, comparable to a full remake of Final Fantasy VII. And Final Fantasy VII Remake is, in fact, a good comparison for Pokémon NX. Square Enix announced the remake very early in the development process—years before it would actually come out. It did so simply to build anticipation and give us all something to look forward to. Pokémon NX is the same way. The very rumor of it will sell systems, and that’s great news for Nintendo.