Highlights
- Pokemon fans want the Pokemon Pinball spin-off series to make a comeback after being dormant for over 20 years.
- The original Pokemon Pinball game was well-received, successfully combining the "gotta catch 'em all" mentality with pinball gameplay.
- There are two potential ways to revive Pokemon Pinball: bring the original games to the Nintendo Switch Online service or create a brand-new game with the abundance of new Pokemon available.
Pokemon fans are calling on The Pokemon Company and Nintendo to revive the long-dormant Pokemon Pinball spin-off series. While the main series Pokemon games tend to get most of the attention, there have been dozens of Pokemon spin-off games over the years, some better than others.
While some Pokemon spin-off games have been poorly received, others have proven to be quite popular, like the Pokemon Stadium games, Pokemon Snap, and of course, the monstrously successful Pokemon GO. Whereas new main series Pokemon games are released on a regular basis, fans have often had to endure longer waits to get their hands on sequels to some of the spin-off games. For example, there was a 22-year gap between the release of the original Pokemon Snap on the Nintendo 64 and the launch of New Pokemon Snap on the Switch in 2021.
The Pokemon Pinball spin-off series has similarly remained dormant for over two decades. The original Pokemon Pinball game was released in 1999 for the Game Boy and earned mostly positive reviews, successfully translating Pokemon's "gotta catch 'em all" mentality to pinball. Four years later, Pokemon Pinball was followed up with Pokemon Pinball: Ruby & Sapphire, which just recently celebrated its 20th birthday. The Pokemon Company acknowledged this in a tweet, kicking off an avalanche of responses from fans begging to see Pokemon Pinball make a comeback in some capacity.
There are multiple ways Pokemon Pinball could potentially be revived. The most obvious choice would be to bring Pokemon Pinball and Pokemon Pinball: Ruby & Sapphire to the Nintendo Switch Online service. The original Pokemon Pinball would be available to all Switch Online subscribers, whereas Pokemon Pinball: Ruby & Sapphire would be exclusive to those who are signed up for the Expansion Pack, considering its status as a Game Boy Advance game. Other Pokemon spin-off games from the era have been added to Switch Online already, like Pokemon Puzzle Leagueand Pokemon Trading Card Game, so it seems like a distinct possibility that the Pokemon Pinball games could get added as well.
Another possibility would be to create a brand-new Pokemon Pinball game. Since both Pokemon Pinball games were well-received by fans, it's a bit puzzling that a new one hasn't surfaced in over 20 years. Hundreds of new Pokemon have been introduced to the franchise since the last game hit the market, so a new Pokemon Pinball would have a ton of material to work with if it were ever made.
