Pokken Tournament, the latest Pokémon game from Bandai Namco (the creators of the Tekken franchise) is an example of one of those rare games that comes along and brings different gaming communities together.
“You know what’s really great? There’s a lot of people who don’t actually understand fighting games or it’s their first time or are Pokémon fans,” Nintendo of America’s Assistant Manager of Product Marketing JC Rodrigo told iDigitalTimes. “They are trying to understand it and I love how one person turns around and asks ‘wait, how did they do that?’ and someone else explains to them. I’m like, this is good all I want you guys to do is play and have a good time.”
The Pokémon fighting game released in Japanese arcades in 2015 to much fanfare and popularity, before its global release on the Nintendo Wii U. Pokken Tournament debuted at No. 3 on the UK video game charts behind The Division and EA Sports UFC 2 , and the hype surrounding the game hasn’t waned since its March 18 release.
We praised Pokken Tournament for its simple yet deep battle system that appeals to both competitive fighting game players and casual gamers. The turnout at Nintendo NY’s Pokken Tournament Early Access Competition was evidence that this game can be enjoyed by anyone.
“I’m really impressed being near the kids in the senior division or younger. I’m so floored that they were teaching me things that i didn’t know and I’ve been playing [Pokken Tournament] for a year now. They were teaching me things and they were only 11 years old.” Rodrigo said. “So what does that say? It says that the game is really easy to pick up but if you are smart about it, you can be really really good and be just fine no matter how old you are.”
This approach has allowed Nintendo to strike oil with its Super Smash Bros series and the company hopes Pokken Tournament can have the same effect, especially in the competitive fighting genre.
It’s no secret that Super Smash Bros has become a staple, if not a favorite, of fighting game tournaments and competitions for almost 10 years now. The Early Access Competition, which Rodrigo was a presenter for, was a great opportunity for Nintendo to show off the game to both casual fans and competitive players.
“Specifically for Pokken Tournament, we really wanted to get in there and showcase how accessible the game can be but also we have people like Justin Flynn and Justin Wong, those guys who are competitive players,” Rodrigo said. “They are really excited to play it, this is going to be really interesting to see how the metagame develops especially if you are really really good at it or just getting in and getting into that next intermediate level. The jumps and gaps to scale are going to be so so fun to watch and a lot of young talent is going to come up.”
Justin Wong, a household name in the fighting game community, won the Early Access Competition and took to Twitter to give his thoughts about Pokken Tournament.
Won the Pokken Tournament Early Access exhibition and I just love this game too much! It's so awesome!!!
— Justin Wong (@JWonggg) March 17, 2016
If the glowing recommendation of one of the most well-known fighting game players in the world wasn’t enough, Pokken Tournament was also selected for EVO 2016, almost two months before its global release.
EVO is the largest, longest-running fighting game tournament in the world. The title available are usually reserved for long-standing franchises like the aforementioned Super Smash Bros, Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter with years of following. The honor of having Pokken Tournament join the ranks was not lost on Rodrigo, who credits the deep battle system and the Bandai Namco team for making it appealing to the fighting game community.
But what about core Pokémon fans, will they embrace the new property? Nintendo hopes Pokken Tournament can appeal to the Pokémon community as well, especially those who wouldn’t ordinarily consider picking up a fighting game.
There are plenty of Twitch streams and YouTube videos from Poketubers like M and JTV and the National Dex showing off gameplay and giving their impressions of the game, so it seems that casual fans have generally accepted Pokken Tournament.
And to strengthen Pokken Tournament’s standing in the Pokémon community, it has been included in this year’s Pokémon National Championship festivities in Columbus, Ohio. The winners of the Early Competition will be sent to the Pokemon Nationals, a place normally held for core Pokemon battling and the trading card game.
This is all part of Nintendo and The Pokémon Company’s plan to bring more eyes to the brand and to provide a gateway into the Pokémon world.
“The Pokemon Company did an amazing job. The whole thing with the Twitch stream and what they did with the 20th Anniversary, there’s a lot of stuff going on,” Rodrigo said. “They really built themselves up and it’s really fun to watch people who love Pokémon continue to love it and those who are new to Pokémon start to go ‘man this is really fun’ and whether they enter through the card game, the core series of video games especially with Sun and Moon coming out, and you have Pokken tournament there are all avenues to get into to experience the world of Pokémon. Regardless of what form it’s in, there’s something for you. I’m enjoying the reception and I’m glad people are liking the game.”
Whether the hype surrounding Pokken Tournament will depend on the continued enthusiasm and support at competitions like EVO remains to be seen. But it’s undeniable that Pokken Tournament seems to have taken both the Pokémon and fighting game communities by storm, just a week into its life.
