Pokemon Changing Names in China
Pokemon is changing the name of three Pokemon species in a move that seems to be an attempt to branch into the budding Chinese market.
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Pokemon has managed to entertain audiences for over twenty years and the franchise has seen a fair few evolutions to stay relevant. Yet, despite all the evolutions in gameplay and the television series, a Pokemon species has never been renamed until now. In China, Pokemon has renamed three species and while there is a fair bit of speculation to why this has happened, it may be to do with China censoring English letters.
Pokemon burst into the gaming world in 1996 with Red and Green and went on to tackle western gaming two years later. Alongside a successful television series, Pokemon has made a huge cultural impact, despite its differences from territory to territory. One of the territories that have resisted the franchise in China and with increasing popularity in the country through imports, The Pokemon Company may be trying to gain access to the significant market.
The three Pokemon species who have had their names changes have dropped English letters for a mix of Arabic and Chinese letters. These new names would pass Chinese censors and as a result, could allow Pokemon to find a legal avenue for commerce in the country. While the rest of the world won’t feel the repercussions of this move, it could mean considerable change in the marketing strategy of the franchise and open up a profitable avenue for the company which has managed to change its practices with current events to retain its audience in other territories.
There have been plenty of changes in Pokemon products, for example, Pokemon Go is currently adapting to the coronavirus and is no longer encouraging outdoor exploration. Furthermore, the colors of Pokemon have been changed to avoid offense in previous generations. With this in mind, while this a historical change, the Pokemon franchise has always been an adaptable entity that has made shrewd decisions to maximize its appeal.
The latest console games for the franchise, Pokemon Sword and Shield were slightly divisive, but this move to make the franchise more accessible around the world will likely please fans. After all, everyone should be able to catch them all, become a Pokemon master or watch Ash do both. It remains to be seen whether this move will allow the games to be sold in China or whether there is a completely different reason for the changing names.
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