Highlights
- The creative teams behind Detective Pikachu Returns are interested in potential spin-off titles, indicating the possibility of more adventures in the same universe.
- The Detective Pikachu series is different from the mainline RPG series, focusing on mystery-solving with a talking Pikachu.
- While the main story of Detective Pikachu has been concluded, there is room for a spin-off if there is enough demand, according to the managing director of Creatures Inc. and the president of The Pokemon Company. The success of Detective Pikachu Returns could influence the decision.
The dust has hardly settled on the release of Detective Pikachu Returns for the Nintendo Switch, and the creative teams behind the series are already discussing the possibility of potential spin-off titles. The sequel to the 2016 Nintendo 3DS game is one of the Nintendo Switch's bigger releases this holiday season from The Pokemon Company, along with Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's second wave of DLC due out sometime this winter.
Differing from the mainline RPG series that centers around capturing Pokemon and battling with them, the Detective Pikachu series is a mystery game centering around a talking Pikachu and his partner, Tim Goodman. Again, the game is quite the departure from others in the franchise. Still, part of the appeal is seeing how all the Pokemon in Detective Pikachu Returns interact in a unique environment. So, while the sequel concludes the story of Tim and Pikachu, that doesn't mean there aren't other adventures to be had within the same universe.
In an interview with Famitsu, Creatures Inc. managing director Hiroyuki Jinnai and The Pokemon Company president Tsunekazu Ishihara both commented on the possibility of the Detective Pikachu series continuing in some capacity. While Jinnai confirms the main story has been completed, there could be a spin-off presumably with the talking Pikachu. The Pokemon Company president then added that "there is room for a spin-off" if the demand is there.
For fans of the mystery series, it is certainly encouraging to hear that there is room for another entry in the vein of Detective Pikachu. Pokemon has more or less become an annualized gaming franchise at this point with the various remakes, remasters, new mainline RPGs, and countless spin-offs already taking up development time and resources. With Detective Pikachu Returns poised to be Nintendo's dark horse for holiday sales this fall and early winter, it is certainly possible that the demand could be there.
That said, The Pokemon Company has been known to let some of its spin-off titles lie dormant for a while. Pokemon Snap fans waited for decades before a follow-up was finally announced. Meanwhile, Pokemon Conquest has more or less been forgotten about since it debuted on the Nintendo DS over a decade ago.
Some fans would argue that Pokemon should bring back two of its best spin-offs in Pokemon Colosseum and the aforementioned Conquest. Still, virtually every title in the Pokemon catalog has its fans and is beloved by one section of its base or another. No matter what the development team decides to work on next, fans somewhere are sure to be excited about it.
Detective Pikachu Returns is available for Nintendo Switch.
