Support NeoGAF

[Yoda]

The only thing they can do is release them on mobile, but given that we just saw a hardware refresh from Nintendo, that isn't going to happen. The younger crowd simply doesn't want to (their parents don't want to at least) buy a seperate device w/less functionality. The longer they wait the less relevant their franchises will be to the new generations and eventually the older fans will slowly bleed out and move on.

 

[TheSeks]

Personally all I want from TPC is a hard mode difficulty.

You already had one. B/W/B2/W2 had this. But they stupidly, in Nintendo fashion, locked it behind "trade locally" functions to even unlock the damn thing. :/

 

[Dunkley]

I'd make a grim-dark reboot.

Already kinda happened with the whole Shadow Pokemon thing.

 

[cafemomo]

I think Nintendo needs to make the franchise a bit darker. It is clearly what the fans want.

and be as edgy as the GameCube games? No thanks.

 

[Balb]

Agreed with those criticizing the story. It's been unbearable in the past few generations and the rivals are straight up awful. Pokemon has some of the most interesting lore around and it's completely wasted.

 

[Espada]

I'm pretty sure B/W was much more dark than X/Y?

X&Y had a full blown pokemon war, a doomsday weapon that

Spoiler

sacrificed countless pokemon in order to revive one

, and a villainous team that planned on using that weapon for their own goals.

That's much darker than Ghetsis' plot for the Unova region, or N's abuse.

 

[JoeM86]

I think Nintendo needs to make the franchise a bit darker. It is clearly what the fans want.

They have been doing so. You should see the stories of the games now. Can be pretty dark.

 

[HardRojo]

Less handholding, let us explore the world, turn the difficulty up a notch and provide a darker story.

I had a new idea for the new generation:

- Release 2 games.
- You are the regular trainer who goes on to become the Champion in one version.
- In the other version you are the Evil Team leader in his early days and you go along his journey to become the Mastermind behind what happens in that region and then on to becoming the Champion (who will be dethroned by the other version's trainer).
I think it'd be somewhat refreshing to see something like this.

 

[Sou Da]

You already had one. B/W/B2/W2 had this. But they stupidly, in Nintendo fashion, locked it behind "trade locally" functions to even unlock the damn thing. :/

I know, I enjoyed it there. I mean I want it to become a mainstay rather than a bulletpoint to try and sell people on a '3rd version'

 

[Nyoro SF]

Continue in the vein of B/W. I feel like that particular generation was structured for older Pokemon players.

 

[MrBadger]

X&Y had a full blown pokemon war, a doomsday weapon that

Spoiler

sacrificed countless pokemon in order to revive one

, and a villainous team that planned on using that weapon for their own goals.

That's much darker than Ghetsis' plot for the Unova region, or N's abuse.

I feel like B/W comes off as darker because the characters feel more fleshed out and realised. Lysandre's mad at the world for no real reason, AZ pops up something like twice briefly before the ending and the only real emotional hook is the flashback to the Pokemon war. But even that comes out of nowhere and gets completely forgotten as soon as Lysandre dies.

In B/W, the storyline has much more prominence. N appears and spreads his delusions on the world frequently and he even

Spoiler

defeats the champion before you finish the Pokemon league.

So it's easier to take the game's dark themes seriously. In most pokemon games, the evil organisation is just a distraction to get the legendary.

 

[Nightbird]

I have bought every mainline game in the series other than B2/W2, and I'm really debating whether or not I get ORAS. These games are so doggone easy now in the last few iterations.

I was sick over the past week and began playing the TGC from the 3DS Virtual Console, and I contend that *that* game is the most addictive out of anything GF has released. There is a serious challenge and depth to it.

I stopped playing X/Y because I felt like there was no real reward to do things in the postgame. Maybe my tastes are changing as well, but I just want something more than the Pokemon-Amie and beauty contests and fashion and other things that are so non-essential. Then they force it upon you in order to evolve certain Pokemon and it becomes a total chore.

I feel the same about X/Y, and you should really go and buy W2 or B2, because those Games have an MASSIVE amount of Post-Game

 

[TheBaronOfNA]

Isn't management what we're talking about here? I think I made a pretty compelling argument about why they shouldn't change many things.

Final Fantasy was since the beginning a storyfocused game that actually got important and significant gameplay changes since early on. There was an bigger attempt to be in par wirh the technological advancements on consoles. When I talk management, I talk about guys leaving and having a banker as CEO after a merger with a rival RPG company. The series is still popular with many people, not exactly close to niche thought no Pokemon levels of mainstream, so there is elements that still atracct people to the franchise that has recived a decline of quality in most deparments (graphics, gameplay and storywise) after FFXIII.

I get your point about being afraid of changing the magic formula and I cannot blame Gamefreak for that. But I still think there is changes that can be made and not be "risky and franchise killer bad"l ike having a better story, even if is just background. I liked Pokemon X&Y, and I really think that is step to the right direction, but Gamefreak takes some descision that are frankly blaffing like removal of trainer costumezation in Alpha/Omega.

 

[massoluk]

Can I just remind people that this article and the one it references refers to a trend of "lower sales". It compares X & Y's sales to Black & White's and says that it shows a massive decline.

X & Y have sold ~13.2 million.
Black & White have sold ~15 million.

Yes, that looks bad, except that these numbers for X & Y are at the 1 year mark (technically 11 and a half months) while Black & White's are at the 4 year mark.

Conversely, at the same point in Pokémon Black & White's life, Black & White had sold...low and behold, 13.6 million (September 2010 to September 2011), and that was on a device with three times the installed units. Incidentally, Diamond & Pearl's were lower than both at 12.1 million (September 2006 to September 2007). also, when DP were at the 4 year mark was also at around 15 million.

This article's premise is based on numbers, which while true, are completely devoice of context. They're removing sales periods to determine reductions, they compare games in the middle of the generation with ones at the start (middle ones always sell less, and have far less appeal with kids. Kids buy for new Pokémon).

Pokémon's older audience is growing. This is a fact. It's why Pokkén is coming. However, the younger audience is not diminishing.

Come here to say this, you put it much better than I could.
At best you could say there are way lots more older players now from the graph.

 

[18-Volt]

Keep the games as they are, just raise the difficulty curve. I'd make the games Dark Souls-esque. You're gonna be stuck in every gym and you have to find your way to beat them. Just like Brock in pokémon Yellow. You can't beat him unless you catch a Nidoran or Mankey from Viridian and train it to above Onix' level. Every gym should be like that.

 

[ash_ag]

Agreed with those criticizing the story. It's been unbearable in the past few generations and the rivals are straight up awful. Pokemon has some of the most interesting lore around and it's completely wasted.

I personally think BW did a fairly good job in balancing a mildly interesting story with a wonderfully varied setting (Castelia Sewers! Village Bridge! Abyssal Ruins!) without becoming ridiculously kiddy in their effort to sound serious.

XY were an unfortunate step back from what BW achieved. It impresses me how many people dare to compare the former with the latter -- there's a world of difference in terms of quality in both the story and the setting. XY managed to step up multiplayer features, but Kalos failed to deliver.

Nevertheless, I don't think making the game "darker" will really expand the audience. It might hype a portion of younger fans, but ultimately there's a need in meaningfully refreshing the gameplay premise and marketing in order to captivate more young players. Yes, the series' hardcore fans might never go away, but there's no denying that a fanbase that ages 5 years for every 5 years isn't exactly robust.

To reiterate the question in my previous post:
Is there a logistical reason the series haven't expanded in China yet?

 

[Village]

more trainer customization allow the player to go as deep as they want to. More expanded single player options out side of the usual I want to immerse myself in the world of pokemon create more story stuff. Different color shinies that vary on rarity.

Dating sim.

Persona errythanf

 

[Watch Da Birdie]

XY's story felt really weird, and unfinished.

I remember seeing this post on /vp/ awhile back claiming there was all this stuff cut from XY, mainly revolving around the plot, and that a lot of the story beats had way more importance with the Mega Evolutions, Team Flare, and such being otherworldly. Most of it was probably bullshit, but it sounded interesting and I wish XY would've been that much of a risk-taker, plot wise, instead of such a weird middle-ground that never went anywhere.

 

[Aesnath]

I've really only been playing pokemon for the last 4 years or so, and nostalgia doesn't factor in for me. The actual mechanics have an incredible amount of depth and the recent additions of the PSS make the whole enterprise much more interesting. Honestly, I'm not sure I would change anything about breeding, battling, or catching pokemon (although regular tweaks are appreciated).

However, I would appreciate a pokemon game with a vastly different mainline story. Not darker, but, maybe more complex. I'd like to make choices about my character, maybe trainer classes with extra out-of-battle abilities (breeders hatching eggs with fewer steps; ace trainers getting extra battle points, etc.). I'd also like an unpredictable or branching story (for example, the player joining a "team"; discovering a team isn't so bad after all; or people abusing the technology of pokemon rather than the creatures themselves (pokeballs are kinda scary when you think about it)).

 

[udivision]

Continue to do what they've been doing all these years? It's obviously working. Don't see why us older fans need any sort of special attention.

 

[Grexeno]

Not dropping well received features every single game would be nice.

 

[Espada]

I feel like B/W comes off as darker because the characters feel more fleshed out and realised. Lysandre's mad at the world for no real reason, AZ pops up something like twice briefly before the ending and the only real emotional hook is the flashback to the Pokemon war. But even that comes out of nowhere and gets completely forgotten as soon as Lysandre dies.

In B/W, the storyline has much more prominence. N appears and spreads his delusions on the world frequently and he even

Spoiler

defeats the champion before you finish the Pokemon league.

So it's easier to take the game's dark themes seriously. In most pokemon games, the evil organisation is just a distraction to get the legendary.

Ehh, you're giving BW more weight than it deserves. Few things are darker than what was talked about in X/Y, both in terms of the conflict (which answered a question the fanbase had for some time) and its resolution. BW was too melodramatic for its own good, and GF went overboard with N.

XY's story felt really weird, and unfinished.

I remember seeing this post on /vp/ awhile back claiming there was all this stuff cut from XY, mainly revolving around the plot, and that a lot of the story beats had way more importance with the Mega Evolutions, Team Flare, and such being otherworldly. Most of it was probably bullshit, but it sounded interesting and I wish XY would've been that much of a risk-taker, plot wise, instead of such a weird middle-ground that never went anywhere.

Now this I agree with. X/Y would've been much better had they focused hard on one element rather than the poorly executed, scattershot approach we had. As you said, they definitely should've taken that risk rather than playing it as safe as they did.

 

[Jakoo]

I've mentioned this elsewhere, but it's especially true of Pokemon: I think Nintendo needs to release some Angry Birds-esque minigames for IOS/Android for Free that leverages their IP. This would familiarize younger people with the game early on and, if they are successful enough, encourage their kids to seek out the formal games on the Nintendo platforms.

In terms of catering to the older fanbase, I think Nintendo has done a generally OK job. They have released games like Pokemon Conquest and are developing Pokken, whose gameplay mechanics arguably cater to an older demographic, even if the themes and tone skew younger.

I think the concept of a Pokemon MMO is a white whale, and while Game Freak makes the mainline games just fine, I doubt their ability or capacity to create an MMO on their own. They would have to contract it out to someone like Blizzard and just provide creative direction.

 

[Can Crusher]

It forever remains as the biggest Nintendo mystery for me, that such a huge franchise hasn't been turned into a full blown AAA game for their main console, with online components. It's just crazy.

 

[Hot Coldman]

Lucario probably wouldn't be getting such a big push if they weren't aware of the ageing audience. It's clearly considered the de facto "13+" franchise mascot after Pikachu. Then there's Charizard for the 1998 veterans.

 

[ash_ag]

Continue to do what they've been doing all these years? It's obviously working. Don't see why us older fans need any sort of special attention.

The title's question seems to be misunderstood. I don't think older fans need special attention, but that they should focus their strategy in making more young players enter the series. The majority of older fans entered the series as kids, and if they can't get more kids to enter the franchise, will it be as healthy in the long-term future?

 

[Watch Da Birdie]

I think Fantasy Life is honestly the route I'd like to see Pokemon go.

A decent open-world to explore, and being able to take on a variety of different tasks beyond simply battling. Now, Pokemon can keep the battle style...I don't really want real-time battles, but just the sense of exploration in Fantasy Life seems like it'd go well with Pokemon.

 

[Zalman]

I've mentioned this elsewhere, but it's especially true of Pokemon: I think Nintendo needs to release some Angry Birds-esque minigames for IOS/Android for Free that leverages their IP. This would familiarize younger people with the game early on and, if they are successful enough, encourage their kids to seek out the formal games on the Nintendo platforms.

This is something they have been doing, most recently with the release of Camp Pokémon. Iwata has also talked about it at investor meetings, so I think we'll see more of it in the future.

 

[Balb]

I personally think BW did a fairly good job in balancing a mildly interesting story with a wonderfully varied setting (Castelia Sewers! Village Bridge! Abyssal Ruins!) without becoming ridiculously kiddy in their effort to sound serious.

XY were an unfortunate step back from what BW achieved. It impresses me how many people dare to compare the former with the latter -- there's a world of difference in terms of quality in both the story and the setting. XY managed to step up multiplayer features, but Kalos failed to deliver.

Nevertheless, I don't think making the game "darker" will really expand the audience. It might hype a portion of younger fans, but ultimately there's a need in meaningfully refreshing the gameplay premise and marketing in order to captivate more young players. Yes, the series' hardcore fans might never go away, but there's no denying that a fanbase that ages 5 years for every 5 years isn't exactly robust.

To reiterate the question in my previous post:
Is there a logistical reason the series haven't expanded in China yet?

Hmm...we'll have to agree to disagree. I thought BW was actually the weakest entry in the series from the top down.

 

[Professor Beef]

Continue to do what they've been doing all these years? It's obviously working. Don't see why us older fans need any sort of special attention.

Pretty much how I feel.

It forever remains as the biggest Nintendo mystery for me, that such a huge franchise hasn't been turned into a full blown AAA game for their main console, with online components. It's just crazy.

That's exactly what has happened already.

 

[DizzyCrow]

They should, it would print money.

At least the early gens.

FAR more people have access to Android or iOS than a DS.

These players don't pay $40 for a game, so they would have to sell a lot more to compensate the lower price and once one game drops, they will expect all the others.

Minecraft costs a relative high price of $7 and as March of 2014 it has sold 21 million copies on iOS/Android, totalizing $147 million in revenue.
Pokemon X&Y as of April 2014 has sold 12 million copies, totalizing $480 million.

If they sold Pokemon at the same price as Minecraft it would have to sell around 68 million copies to reach the same revenue, how many games sold as much at this price? Even Minecraft hasn't sold as much, as of October 2014 it has sold 54 million copies across all platforms.

 

[Aaronrules380]

Those graphs are kind of confusing. Are they just about relative age proportions, or also total number? Because expansion of the userbase is also a very serious consideration. Another thing is that there almost certainly is a shift as kids are more likely to be using smart devices nowadays. The OP says people will buy systems just for Pokemon, but I think that applies way more to older people than kids. Kids aren't buying any systems, there parents are. And it's easy to understand a parent being reluctant to buy their kids a handheld system when they can just give their kids their own phone to keep them occupied a lot of the time. It's easy to understand why a parent would be reluctant to buy a handheld for their kid when they can just use something they already own to entertain them much of the time. I'd say there probably is some loss in the number of people getting into pokemon when they're young, but also more people getting into it the first time at an older age. Furthermore, we don't know if this is a trend that will continue, or if it'll level out again anyways

 

[Keyouta]

I don't understand why Game Freak hasn't implemented a challenge mode in the main series, an optional difficulty for the players who want it. It seems like they're lazy. There was an interview a couple weeks back with the director, Masuda, and he just said he doesn't know why they don't have one. The other guy on the team said it would "make the game too hard and alienate players.", which makes zero sense. They had a crappy implementation in B2W2, but haven't built on it at all. I want to be challenged, you can still have a normal and easy mode in there for kids.
Make it selectable when you start a new game. The series is almost 20 years old, it's crazy.

 

[vinnygambini]

I think Pokemon's fanbase is ageing per se, but I feel as though it might be a conscious decision from The Pokemon Company - the comparison I would make would be comic book properties (target the core, expand the reach of your property).

They seem to be targeting an older audience, those who grew up playing Pokemon, which in turn will introduce the Pokemon brand to their loved ones, whether through the Pokemon games, apparel, tv show, etc.

Siliconnera's article about Pokemon's decline sales is simply rubbish. As we stand, Pokemon XY have sold over 13.3 million copies (1 year release compared to 4) and will most likely achieve similar results to Black & White, 15 million.

What I would argue is that, with every successive release in Japan, we see lower sales. Pokemon mainline games have always achieved over 5 million in their home territory, but we won't see that result with XY - that decline, is related to not targeting younger children as predominantly as it once did (Youkai Watch has filled that void); hence why Pokemon XY was extremely front-loaded and the core bought it day 1.

Regardless of the decline in Japan, the West now makes up for it; which is odd because prior to this generation, Japan would be it's best territory by a large margin.

In essence, I think TPC has realized the above. They want to continue appeal to the core, and I think Pokken Tournament is nice addition to that strategy. In regards to their kids segment, this is the area where they need to work harder. I'm positive they will find something that will reinvigorate the brand within that market segment.

In the end, Pokemon is still one of the most bankable properties in the gaming industry and I don't think that's going to change in the long run

 

[Espada]

Lucario probably wouldn't be getting such a big push if they weren't aware of the ageing audience. It's clearly considered the de facto "13+" franchise mascot after Pikachu. Then there's Charizard for the 1998 veterans.

This doesn't really ring true since Lucario's been popular since it was first introduced in 2005 (Lucario and the Mystery of Mew). It's more likely that Lucario's being pushed because of its long time popularity.

 

[Aiustis]

Less handholding, let us explore the world, turn the difficulty up a notch and provide a darker story.

I had a new idea for the new generation:

- Release 2 games.
- You are the regular trainer who goes on to become the Champion in one version.
- In the other version you are the Evil Team leader in his early days and you go along his journey to become the Mastermind behind what happens in that region and then on to becoming the Champion (who will be dethroned by the other version's trainer).
I think it'd be somewhat refreshing to see something like this.

I would love this.

Also pokemon needs a hard mode.

 

[Jakoo]

This is something they have been doing, most recently with the release of Camp Pokémon. Iwata has also talked about it at investor meetings, so I think we'll see more of it in the future.

Wow...haha I didn't even know that this existed (which makes sense, since I am not the target audience), but this looks exactly like what I feel like they should be doing. I'm of the opinion that Nintendo should be doing this for every major IP (Mario, Link).

 

[JoeM86]

Those graphs are kind of confusing. Are they just about relative age proportions, or also total number? Because expansion of the userbase is also a very serious consideration. Another thing is that there almost certainly is a shift as kids are more likely to be using smart devices nowadays. The OP says people will buy systems just for Pokemon, but I think that applies way more to older people than kids. Kids aren't buying any systems, there parents are. And it's easy to understand a parent being reluctant to buy their kids a handheld system when they can just give their kids their own phone to keep them occupied a lot of the time. It's easy to understand why a parent would be reluctant to buy a handheld for their kid when they can just use something they already own to entertain them much of the time. I'd say there probably is some loss in the number of people getting into pokemon when they're young, but also more people getting into it the first time at an older age. Furthermore, we don't know if this is a trend that will continue, or if it'll level out again anyways

Relative, not based on number. As such, expansion of the older will result in decreasing percentage of the younger.

However, this all came from the report that less young people bought ORAS compared to X & Y.

This is all doomsaying and based on statistical numbers without context. As I said before, the articles are claiming a downward trend in sales that doesn't exist.

It forever remains as the biggest Nintendo mystery for me, that such a huge franchise hasn't been turned into a full blown AAA game for their main console, with online components. It's just crazy.

That's because Pokémon is designed to be portable. It has all the online components here, but it also had portability which is, and here's the clincher, big with kids.

 

[DylanTackoor]

Personally all I want from TPC is a hard mode difficulty.

Though I'd like to see an experiment where they don't use the Pokemon league gym formula for one game.

nintendo pls.

 

[Aaronrules380]

Relative, not based on number. As such, expansion of the older will result in decreasing percentage of the younger.

However, this all came from the report that less young people bought ORAS compared to X & Y.

This is all doomsaying and based on statistical numbers without context. As I said before, the articles are claiming a downward trend in sales that doesn't exist.

I think an arguement could be made that if younger gamers aren't familarized with the franchise, it will eventually lead to a decline in sales as at some point the old guard will stop playing. I'm not sure I'd agree, but one could argue the series has maintained numbers through a very dedicated fan base that has existed for years, and isn't introducing as much new blood into the franchise as it used to. X and Y make the issue fuzzier because being the first 3d mainline pokemon games I feel like there was probably a more significant amount of returnees who had skipped some games than previous generations had

 

[Starwolf_UK]

bring it to consoles pls.

Now here I have to disagree. You see Pokemon has a lot time consuming but low attention things in it. Breeding Pokemon for instance is essentially cycling in a straight line. I'm not going to do that at 1080p but I'll do it while watching some TV.

Then there is wonder trading which is half a minute of connecting with another player followed by a 20 second trade animation.

I stopped playing X/Y because I felt like there was no real reward to do things in the postgame. Maybe my tastes are changing as well, but I just want something more than the Pokemon-Amie and beauty contests and fashion and other things that are so non-essential. Then they force it upon you in order to evolve certain Pokemon and it becomes a total chore.

Sylveon needs 2 hearts in PokeAmie. That takes about 5 minutes (including playing the games to keep Pokepuff supplies up) and you can get 3 Eevees done in that time.

I don't know how many Berries you have to feed Feebas to max its beauty but trading with Prism Scale works in XY and that respwans in Falhabour town. Those are the only evolutions I can think of tied to such mini-game mechanics.

In that sense getting Sylveon is quicker than earning BP to buy the Up-grade and then Dubious Disc to get Porygon-Z.

But as for postgame rewards. Thats fair enough. Completing the Pokedex can burn you out and getting the Starf and Lansat berry for Battle Maison can be tedious. Especially if your team has holes in it and the AI gets lucky and wipes a streak before you get there.

I've mentioned this elsewhere, but it's especially true of Pokemon: I think Nintendo needs to release some Angry Birds-esque minigames for IOS/Android for Free that leverages their IP. This would familiarize younger people with the game early on and, if they are successful enough, encourage their kids to seek out the formal games on the Nintendo platforms.

Similar thought. I felt the Dream World in BW was trying to stop mindshare being eroded bu Club Penguin and Moshi Monsters but needing Pokemon BW to play in them was kind of a failing here.

 

[Aaronrules380]

Relative, not based on number. As such, expansion of the older will result in decreasing percentage of the younger.

However, this all came from the report that less young people bought ORAS compared to X & Y.

This is all doomsaying and based on statistical numbers without context. As I said before, the articles are claiming a downward trend in sales that doesn't exist.



That's because Pokémon is designed to be portable. It has all the online components here, but it also had portability which is, and here's the clincher, big with kids.

ALso worth noting that portability is also huge in Japan with more than just kids, since a lot of people play games on commutes

 

[JoeM86]

I think an arguement could be made that if younger gamers aren't familarized with the franchise, it will eventually lead to a decline in sales as at some point the old guard will stop playing. I'm not sure I'd agree, but one could argue the series has maintained numbers through a very dedicated fan base that has existed for years, and isn't introducing as much new blood into the franchise as it used to. X and Y make the issue fuzzier because being the first 3d mainline pokemon games I feel like there was probably a more significant amount of returnees who had skipped some games than previous generations had

X & Y did bring a lot of kids into it.

This whole thing started because less kids bought ORAS than XY and thus clearly doom.

 

[Hot Coldman]

This doesn't really ring true since Lucario's been popular since it was first introduced in 2005 (Lucario and the Mystery of Mew). It's more likely that Lucario's being pushed because of its long time popularity.

Well, that's why it's being pushed instead of, say, Bisharp, but the reason why they have any non-cute, non-legendary, non-starter Pokemon getting a huge push in the first place is from the age problem. I think that was really the first time they tried doing that with that kind of Pokemon.

Besides, I feel like Lucario's time in the sun naturally ended by the time HG/SS came out, and then with B2W2 they really started ramping it up again.

 

[Aaronrules380]

X & Y did bring a lot of kids into it.

This whole thing started because less kids bought ORAS than XY and thus clearly doom.

Oh I'm not arguing that, and I have no numbers anyways. The question is whether they're bringing less kids into it than they had in the past, which is entirely reasonable given the rise of smartphones. And yeah, ORAS is an entirely different beast being a remake

 

[Fou-Lu]

I'd just really like to see a rival that actually feels like a rival again. Instead of just some chump friend who kind of fails to get anywhere.

 

[Aaronrules380]

Well, that's why it's being pushed instead of, say, Bisharp, but the reason why they have any non-cute, non-legendary, non-starter Pokemon getting a huge push in the first place is from the age problem.

Besides, I feel like Lucario's time in the sun naturally ended by the time HG/SS came out, and then with B2W2 they really started ramping it up again.

Because young boys don't like "cool" Pokemon? As a kid I always preferred the cool ones to the cute ones, and not just in terms of legendaries or starters

 

[Aaronrules380]

I'd just really like to see a rival that actually feels like a rival again. Instead of just some chump friend who kind of fails to get anywhere.

I agree on this. I want a rival who feels neck and neck with you. I like how in gen I the rival always seemed to get to the gyms before you, and was the champion, but I'd like one where sometimes they'll be listed as clearing it first, sometimes they'll be a bit later than you, and just generally feel more like they're just on your level

 

[vinnygambini]

X & Y did bring a lot of kids into it.

This whole thing started because less kids bought ORAS than XY and thus clearly doom.

Doomeeedd!

I still think my points stands nonetheless though

 

[udivision]

The title's question seems to be misunderstood. I don't think older fans need special attention, but that they should focus their strategy in making more young players enter the series. The majority of older fans entered the series as kids, and if they can't get more kids to enter the franchise, will it be as healthy in the long-term future?

Sorry, you're right.

They have the anime, the "Pokemon Smash" thing, and already do a lot of promotion.

There's no going back to the big media push of the 90's, so outside of Japan there isn't a lot they can do.

I kind of feel that the Pokemon franchise is at the mercy of dedicated handhelds and how long they (handhelds) can survive.