While the Pokémon TCG Online (Free) card-battling game launched for iPad late last month, long-time series producer Junichi Masuda doesn’t see a compelling reason to bring any of the proper Pokemon games to tablets or smartphones, according to an interview with Polygon. According to Masuda, “If we were to bring Pokémon to iPad or mobile or smartphones or anything, I think there would need to be… some sort of problem it would be solving, not just that it would be porting over old games, for example."
Masuda goes on to explain that he feels the Nintendo 3DS is the best platform for Pokémon right now, but he doesn’t entirely rule out the possibility that there could be a Pokémon game on mobile someday. “Perhaps if we were going to do something with completely different hardware interface, like mobile for example, the games may turn into something completely different — like the way you control for example," said Masuda.
As for why Pokémon TCG Online made sense to bring to the iPad? Masuda said “I think that there’s a certain challenge there for certain people to find an opponent, and I think the iPad version, or TCG Online in general, kind of solves that problem."
The funny thing is I’m sure there are millions out there who could come up with all sorts of “problems" a true Pokémon game on mobile would be solving, but to me it sounds like Masuda’s comments are playing it safe for the current situation they’re in making games for the 3DS but he definitely doesn’t shut the door completely on the idea.
If developer Game Freak ever did create a Pokémon for mobile devices, whether it was a revamp of an older game like the upcoming Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire for 3DS or a completely new game created specifically tablets and smartphones, it would basically be a license to print money. Hopefully they consider it sometime in the future, and if we get word that Pokémon is heading to a platform other than the 3DS we’ll let you know
[Polygon]
