Pokemon Let's Go Pikachu and Let's Go Eevee were the first core Pokemon games to release on Nintendo Switch in an effort to tide fans over in the wait for Pokemon Sword and Shield and capitalize on the worldwide success of Pokemon GO. Despite their critical and commercial success, having sold nearly 11 million copies worldwide, it looks like developer Game Freak doesn't have plans for more games in the Let's Go series.
Pokemon Let's Go Pikachu and Let's Go Eevee reimagined Pokemon Yellow for a new generation of players and introduced new catch and battle mechanics from Pokemon GO to create a unique experience. The Pokemon Company publicly stated the Pokemon Let's Go are considered core entries in the franchise which lead fans to believe that there would be more games.
In an interview with Eurogamer during the Pokemon Sword and Shield press tour, Game Freak producer and director Junichi Masuda stated that the team has "no particular plans" to continue the Pokemon Let's Go series right now. According to Pokemon Sword and Shield director Shigeru Ohmori, it appears that the reason for the decision comes down to the team wanting to make new games rather than rehashing what they've done before.
“I think we always try to avoid, if we can, having people guess what we’re gonna do next," Ohmori said in a follow-up comment to IGN. "It’s always fun doing like the remakes and revisiting things that you’ve done, doing a new take on it, but at the same time, we always want to make new things. So, it’s kind of [about] finding that balance but we’re kind of torn between the two all the time. So just try to think about what people might want at a certain time.”
Game Freak's desire to make new games won't come as a surprise to many. Earlier this month, the developer released their first non-Pokemon RPG, Little Town Hero, in nearly two decades. Masuda did acknowledge that if fans really wanted to more games, that both The Pokemon Company and Nintendo may change their minds, but for now, the team isn't working on Pokemon Let's Go 2.
Pokemon Let's Go Pikachu and Let's Go Eevee are out now, exclusively for the Nintendo Switch.
Source: IGN