Nintendo has a knack for spreading out new information about upcoming games to keep fans thinking about them. Nintendo Directs also have a way of shaping conversations within the video game industry. ThePokemonfranchise’s success partially stems from Nintendo’s skill in advertising. Every one ofPokemon’s new monsters or regions presents an opportunity to tease content that fans should expect. For instance,Pokemon Legends: Arceus' trailers about elements like Pokemon Nobles stretch out the period in which fans learn about the game - to its benefit.
Even though Nintendo has a lot of experience doing this for thePokemongames and its other franchises, it should be willing to experiment. The tone its trailers set or the way they appear on release are important. Nintendo recently proved that with a spooky found footage-style trailerrevealing Hisuian Zorua and ZoroarkforPokemon Legends: Arceus.ThePokemonfranchise should make use of this type of viral marketing more often. Creating a sense of mystery or suspense before a big reveal is a great way to excite fans and set expectations for upcoming content.
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Examples of Successful Pokemon Reveals
ThePokemonfranchise has come up with a couple of viral ways to reveal Pokemon and market new games. The recent Hisuian Zorua and Zoroark reveal is a great example. ThePokemonYouTube channel uploaded some heavily distorted video footage supposedly made by a Pokemon researcherexploring the wilds of the Hisui region. In the process, this researcher finds an unidentified new Pokemon before being chased off by something bigger. Fans jumped on this spooky video, determined to figure out the Pokemon’s identity, and some noticed the time of night the researcher mentioned matched Zorua and Zoroark’s entries in the Unovan Pokedex. Sure enough, the YouTube channel added a second version of the footage that was restored, revealing Hisuian Zorua and Zoroark.
Another great example came in October 2019 whenPokemon SwordandShieldwere on the way. The Pokemon Company hosted a cozy stream called Pokemon Live Camera, featuring a fixed camera recording the Galar region’s Glimwood Tangle to spot Pokemon like Pikachu and Impidimp. However, fans saw something else run across their screen: a horse-like Pokemon in pastel colors. Fans quickly latched onto this mystery Pokemon as a Galarian Ponyta, and felt even more strongly about that hypothesis when it strolled across the camera again later in the stream. Shortly thereafter, Game Freak confirmed fans had spotted Galarian Ponyta, releasing a YouTube video showcasing the new Pokemon.The multi-day scheme to reveal Galarian Ponytapaid off, amping up excitement for the official reveal.
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Pokemon Should Use More Creative Teasers
These examples prove thePokemonfranchise could get more experimental when revealing new content. Most of the time, newPokemoncontent is revealed exactly when fans would expect it. Nintendo releases large gameplay trailers duringPokemon-centric conferences, unloading all the details people could ask for at the same time. While it’s great to get so much information all at once, it also doesn’t leave much room for suspense. Fans love to share hypotheses when they can’t see the full picture of a game, butthe current model ofPokemonmarketinggenerally means there either isn’t room for guesswork, or there aren’t enough clues for fans to build off of.
Nintendo, Game Freak, and The Pokemon Company should give fans more to work with moving forward. The Hisuian Zorua and Zoroark trailer was a clear success, so Nintendo should latch onto that and brainstorm creative new ways that it can advertise content. Even looking atPokemon Legends: Arceus,there’s some great options. For instance, a new teaser could tell a myth related toone of the Hisui region’s Pokemon Nobles, dropping clues about what known Pokemon the Noble evolves from. Fans would be more than happy to piece together the evolutionary line of a Noble based on legends and rumors.
Viral-stylePokemonmarketing doesn’t even have to be related to new monsters. If a futurePokemongame brings backa classicPokemonhero or villain, even the vaguest piece of concept art or the shortest gameplay clip hinting at the character would spread through the community like wildfire, getting fans excited for the official reveal in advance. Teasers about new locations could work the same way too, getting fans interested in a new setting by encouraging them to speculate about what kind of Pokemon live there or what part ofPokemonmythos has ties to that location.
Pokemon Fans Enjoy a Mystery
Pokemon’s past attempts at viral marketing show that there’s value in releasing information as a trail of bread crumbs, rather than giving fans the whole loaf.Pokemonfans are eager to delve into the game world, rather than just waiting for Nintendo or Game Freak to explicitly say what they should expect. Mysteries like Pokemon Live Camera’s surprise guest or the Hisuian found footage encourage fans toengage with thePokemonworldwell before the new game comes out. Teasers like these don’t just build excitement for a specific announcement; they get fans invested in a new story and gameplay by encouraging fans to ask questions.
Pokemonmarketing will probably shift soon.Pokemon Brilliant DiamondandShining Pearlare just about to release, andPokemon Legends: Arceuswill come out only a few months later. The franchise might enter a lull as Game Freak potentially starts work on the ninth generation ofPokemongames. If the series really is on the cusp of its next generation, that would be the perfect time forPokemonto overhaul how it presents itself to fans. A new marketing strategy seems appropriate for corePokemongames.
