The Pokemon Company teased a, “Shocking” announcement for this month, and they’ve finally drawn back the veil on their plans. Just announced for Japanese arcades, Pokken Tournament is a 3D fighter that will incorporate famous Pokemon fighting personalities such as Machamp and Lucario.
Pokken Tournament was first glimpsed at the tail end of a Pokemon game footage montage, with Nintendo claiming that the game’s identity would be revealed some time in the significant future. Now, that time has finally come. Given that the Pokemon series has never delivered a true fighting game yet, this project makes for a shocking announcement indeed! Even so, one has to wonder why it took so long, since battling has always been a core part of the Pokemon franchise.
If the name seems odd, perhaps it would make sense if you consider that the game is being developed by Bandai Namco’s Tekken team, who are also hard at work on the recently-announced Tekken 7. This may present a clue as to exactly what kind of fighting mechanics the game will feature. It also marks the latest in a string of high-profile collaborations with Nintendo and the Namco developers, with pre-merger Namco developing an arcade-based Mario Kart spin-off for Japan, Mario Kart Arcade GP, and Namco’s crew also assisting in the development of Nintendo’s highly anticipated upcoming mascot crossover fighters, Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U.
There’s currently no word on a Western release for Pokken Tournament, nor whether the game may see a home console release on Wii U in Japan or anywhere else at this time. Fortunately, we already have two high-profile Pokemon games to look forward to this Fall on the 3DS, with Pokemon Art Academy arriving in October, and Generation III remakes, Pokemon Omega Ruby and Pokemon Alpha Sapphire following that in November.
We at Eggplante will be keeping a close eye on the development of Pokken Tournament, so keep journeying to us for any news and updates on this exciting new game, as well as the Pokemon franchise at large.