With Crimson and Crimson, Pokémon is just one step away from the MMO

MeinMMO editor-in-chief Leya Jankowski is certain: After Pokémon Crimson/Crimson, we will call the next main branch of the series an MMO. Because with the new multiplayer and systems carried over from Pokémon GO, we’re almost there.

I’ve been dreaming of an MMO set in the Pokémon universe for a long time. I was born in 1990. This makes Pokémon the game of my childhood and has been with me for 25 years now. Tomorrow, November 17, 2022, will be the release of Crimson/Purple, the 9th generation.

The social aspects of an MMO make the genre so special and unique. Precisely this point has always been one of the most important parts of Pokémon DNA. With the first red/blue editions, it was already possible in 1996 to connect your Gameboy via a link cable and fight against others or swap your pocket monsters.

With sluggish steps, the franchise developed more and more in the direction of an MMO. Thanks to the internet it was eventually possible to fight, trade with people all over the world. Exchanges developed to obtain Pokémon with coveted stats, or to snag rare Eggs and Shiny Pokémon — Pokémon that have a special coloring.

Somehow GameFreak, the studio behind the main branches, never made it to the real MMO.

Not even with the jump from pure handheld consoles like the Nintendo 3DS to the Nintendo Switch. This is where Pokémon Let’s GO first appeared. A smart move to get to Pokemon GO fans:

Pokémon GO as the franchise’s first MMO

The first and only MMO to exist in the entire franchise so far is the insanely successful Pokémon GO. Within 5 years, the mobile game was able to convert 5 billion dollars (via sensor tower).

The game features, among other things:

It’s all happening out there in an “open world” where you can go anywhere, anytime, with the most realistic graphics you’ve ever seen. Unless you are under 18 and need to be home before dark.

The social aspects are huge in Pokémon GO. I know quite a few people myself who regularly roam the block with fixed groups to rotate and raid PokéStops.

Pokemon Company CEO Tsunekazu Ishihara spoke in 2017 about the impact Pokemon GO will have on the future of the franchise. At the time, people were surprised at the success of Niantic’s mobile game.

We’re really starting to feel that influence now with the new main offshoots, Crimson/Purple.

Crimson is slowly starting to use the power of Pokémon

The radiance of Pokémon has always consisted of a strong community that bonds with the monsters. The idea of ​​going out into the world, making friends, and adventuring with Pokémon is what is at the core of Pokémon.

So far, however, the fan passion has mainly taken place outside of the games. The last generation took the first step in the direction of a shared experience with sword and shield. This is where co-op raids were introduced in the main branches in 2019. It was also possible to camp and chill out with others here.

The most important innovation that is now coming with Crimson/Purple: An open game world with a minimap that you can freely explore in four-player co-op.

In a video we show you what multiplayer entails:

You can find a complete overview of all the features of Pokémon Crimson/Crimson at our sister site GamePro.de.

This time there is no set course for how you have to march through the map. There are only three main unlockable missions that you can follow. Otherwise, you can always go to any region you want.

You can take photos together with a new photo mode. There will also be picnics to hang out with your group again.

Throughout the game you will find Tera Raids, which you can use to fight particularly strong Pokémon in instances.

There will also be limited-time raids to catch special Pokémon with Spotlight Hours. The first Tera Raid event, Eevee Spotlight, is from Friday November 25th to Sunday November 27th.

Unfortunately, that’s about it.

The development to the MMO is there, but it’s going slowly

Since Pokémon on the Nintendo Switch has been a thing, I’ve been thinking: Now we have to get an MMO, at least on the scale like there is in a Monster Hunter World.

The development since the switch shows that with each generation, the MMO direction is now being taken a little further. The instanced raids and now the open world to be explored together are a big step for Pokémon standards.

However, the level of a Temtem has not been reached. With the huge success of Pokémon GO alone, the Pokémon Company will push harder in this direction. At the GameFreak developer studio, however, the mills grind slowly when it comes to modernization – but they grind.

What’s missing for me to call Pokémon an MMO are quests for which you get shared progress or PvP double battles in the open game world. A larger hub area where you can see and interact with multiple trainers in one place.

But I’ll vouch for the fact that GameFreak is currently working on exactly such features for the next main branch. It’s really just one step further from having a Pokemon MMO now – if we don’t get that in the next major branch, I’ll probably start tearing my hair out.

Pokémon’s MMO potential has just been sitting around for too long now.