Why The Pokémon Franchise Will Never Die Off

The topic of immortal video game franchises can’t be discussed without mentioning Nintendo’s Golden Goose franchise, Pokémon. Young or old it seems as though everyone knows about this franchise. If someone isn’t familiar with the anime, they’ll know about the games and if they don’t know about the games, they collected the cards growing up.

However, as many former die-hard Pokémon fans lose interest in the franchise, one question starts popping up now and then. Will it ever die out? I’m here to discuss this question in-depth today to answer whether the gigantic franchise millions know and love will ever lose popularity. Spoilers: the answer is no.

Pokémon Is Literally Everywhere

Naturally, the biggest evidence that Pokemon is huge is how it’s everywhere. Nintendo has very smartly infiltrated most pieces of media to add a hint of Pocket Monster. I bet you’ll find a little Pika-magic everywhere, whether you look at music, games, TV, streaming, social media, or anywhere else.

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And that brings me to my first point. How will Pokémon die out if it’s everywhere? Let us take the popular Pokédance trend taking over social media as an example. It’s bound to die off like most trends, but its popularity indicates how the IP can make anything blow up.

If the franchise starts stagnating in the anime space, for example, it’ll still have countless other industries to fall back on. With more contingency plans than Batman, it’s impossible for Pokémon to truly go away unless the meteor that wiped out the dinosaurs returns.

Nostalgia Is A Powerful Thing

Many former Pokémon fans have outgrown the IP over the years. However, that doesn’t mean they’ve completely forgotten the joy they felt every time Pikachu used Thunderbolt to blast Team Rocket or when they took down the Elite Four to face every region’s Champion. These tiny moments associated with the series are what keep the IP alive.

Will Pokémon Ever End?
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The most important thing to keep something alive is to keep the conversation about it going. Fortunately for Nintendo, the conversation surrounding Pokémon won’t ever die off. If it isn’t about Ash finally returning then it’s about Scarlet and Violet being technical disasters. Even bad news is good news, as long as people talk about the franchise.

Pokémon has had the most trends associated with it over the years. From the insane craze over Pokémon GO in 2016 to the resurgence of collectible cards (and subsequent scalping issues), you can tell how fans want to enjoy Pokémon. Nostalgia is the biggest factor in this, and that’s something no Palworld or Digimon can take away.

The Possibilities For Expansion Are Limitless

It’s time to dive into Nintendo’s secret weapon for keeping the IP relevant all these years. You guessed it, all of the new Pokémon, regions, and characters the franchise continues to introduce. Some people don’t understand the scope of the digital world Nintendo created. With endless regions and undiscovered Pocket Monsters, Nintendo can keep things fresh forever.

Returning to the nostalgia part of this article, Pokémon aims to become part of multiple core memories for children. I grew up with the Hoeen region as Ash scoured the land with May and Brock while I did the same with my trusty Sceptile. However, it’s different for children now. Ten years later someone might look back fondly on Liko and Roy’s journey across the Paldea region.

Nintendo continues to do some amazing things with the Pokémon franchise. While some might find the new content questionable, the past games, cards, and anime episodes still exist. This franchise is here to stay, and regardless of whether you’re a fan of the new or old Pokémon, you’ll likely come back to it eventually.