Pokemon Company head talks worldwide launch of X/Y, looking to achieve Diamond/Pearl sales
Pokemon X and Y are the first games in the series to launch around the world simultaneously. Usually, players overseas would need to wait several months (if not longer) for the Japanese version to be localized.
Such a release pattern, Pokemon Company president and CEO Tsunekazu Ishihara believes, left western fans with a feeling of “being left behind.”
The fact that Pokemon X/Y will be available at once will also even out the playing field when it comes to online battles. Japanese players won’t have an “advantage” so to speak, as they won’t have the extra time to learn about the battle system.
Ishihara told Famitsu this week:
“By releasing [Pokemon X and Y] simultaneously and allowing players around the world to enjoy the game on an equal stage, even I can’t fully anticipate the outcome, and I’m looking forward to seeing the results. I believe that Pokemon has always been ‘a tool to connect people,’ so it’s interesting to see how playing the game evolves in areas – including the release timing – and how word spreads through the media comparatively.”
And how about the sales of Pokemon X/Y? What’s Ishihara hoping to achieve? He said, “One of our initial objectives is Diamond and Pearl numbers.”
Pokemon Diamond/Pearl have sold more than five million copies in Japan, but when the games hit store shelves, the DS’ userbase was only at 10 million. Over 12 million 3DS units are now in consumers’ hands in Japan.
