When the original Detective Pikachu game was announced for the Nintendo 3DS, chances are most Pokemon fans didn't think the spin-off would lead to anything particularly big for the franchise as a whole. Of course, the Detective Pikachu game would ultimately lay the groundwork for the development of one of the most successful video game films to date.
Considering the praise and profit generated by the movie, it wasn't a shock to hear that a Detective Pikachu 2 game was in the works. However, that was several years ago, and not much has been said about the game since, leaving some fans wondering if it was still coming or not.
A new job listing from Detective Pikachu's developer, Creatures Inc., has now revealed a bit of a status update on the development of Detective Pikachu 2. According to the listing, based on a translation from VideoGamesChronicle, Creatures Inc. is actively seeking employees for 'working on the sequel to Detective Pikachu, programming the drawing area, while also creating a system in the Environment Development Office that will serve as the foundation for future game production in general.'
While Pokemon fans will likely be pleased to know that the game hasn't been shelved, the job listing doesn't bode well for seeing a sequel anytime soon. Similar job listings have been spotted for games like Metroid Prime 4 in the past, which has been stuck in development limbo for quite some time. Detective Pikachu 2 was originally announced to be a Nintendo Switch game, but now that the console has already entered its mid-life, it's unclear if that will hold.
It may strike fans as a bit surprising that it's taken this long for the development of Detective Pikachu 2 to move forward. While there were distinct differences between the Detective Pikachu game and film, the movie performed well at the box office, and the game received moderately good scores from critics and sold well on the Nintendo eShop. In any case, it's not the only Nintendo sequel game for the Switch that's been missing in action, as both Metroid Prime 4 and Bayonetta 3 have left fans waiting for quite some time, and Zelda fans are still waiting for a release date for Breath of the Wild 2. Of course, it's highly likely that most - if not all - of these games have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and may have seen internal delays as a result.
Thankfully, Pokemon fans have no shortage of games in general to enjoy on the Switch. Between Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, plus the recent formula departure with Pokemon Legends: Arceus, the series has had things both old and new for fans to enjoy.
Detective Pikachu is available for the Nintendo 3DS.
Source: Video Games Chronicle