Pokémon’s Nostalgia Pandering Is Getting Old
Pokémon Unite is a great way to take the franchise into a new genre, but the trailer used nostalgia in a misleading way.
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When Nintendo released the trailer for Pokémon Sun & Moon amidst the franchise’s 20th anniversary back in 2016, it was hard to not get at least a little bit emotional. The video showed the journey of a generation of kids playing the original Red and Blue games, and getting older with each new entry, similarly to how many of us experienced the games ourselves. It was a wonderful burst of nostalgia and completely appropriate at the time.
Fast forward to 2020, where Pokémon has been using the same nostalgic strategy to announce many new titles, most recently Pokémon Unite. The “free-to-start” Pokémon MOBA is a completely new spinoff, and other than the inclusion of Pokémon, it’s unrelated to any of the classic games or trading cards.
The trailer starts off by showing footage of kids playing many of the mainline games and trading Pokémon cards, something that we can all feel nostalgic towards. This builds up to introduce a game that is clearly unrelated to that feeling, as it’s an entirely new spinoff that looks like a copy and paste version of League of Legends with a heavy emphasis on microtransactions.
Don’t get me wrong, I have no problem with Pokémon expanding into other types of games and forms of media, and it’s clear that this is The Pokémon Company’s goal. I’ve always loved the franchise, and for the most part, I’m okay with it being milked in every way shape and form. After all, what Pokémon fan doesn’t want to see more Pokémon?
The problem arises when a new game is introduced that is clearly aiming to capitalize on the microtransaction-heavy landscape of today’s industry, and The Pokémon Company tries to justify it by pulling on our heart strings. What starts off as an attempt to play to our emotions ends up as an insult to our intelligence, and if I was going to consider giving Pokémon Unite a try, I’m not anymore.
It’s clear that TPC wants to use Pokémon’s massive popularity to make money anywhere and everywhere possible. Again, that’s fine. I’m all for it. It’d be a lot easier to swallow if TPC read the room beforehand though. If you’re not going to give the core fan base something they’ve been dying to play, then don’t pretend that you’re making something for the core fanbase.
I don’t feel as if Pokémon should avoid using nostalgia altogether, but there is certainly a time and a place. The memories I have playing Pokémon as a kid are much of the reason why I keep coming back to check out every new mainline entry in the series. But just because I have a great deal of nostalgia for the franchise doesn’t mean I’m ready to throw money at everything with a Pikachu slapped on top of it.
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