By using this site, you agree to our Privacy Policy and our Terms of Use. Close

Forums - Gaming Discussion - Are Sony or MS capable of creating a cultural phenomenon like Pokemon Go?

 

Are they?

No, only Nintendo with Pokemon. 328 78.47%
 
Yes, Sony with __________. 61 14.59%
 
Yes, Microsoft with____________. 29 6.94%
 
Total:418
GOWTLOZ on 15 July 2016
Soundwave said:
GOWTLOZ said:
There is no answer to this. Pokemon is a popular IP, but its popularity comes through the anime and games not just the games. If Sony and MS were to make sitcoms and movie franchises of their iconic gaming franchises they would be a lot bigger.

But its more than this. Pokemon Go is a free app on platforms that everybody owns. All the big Sony and MS franchises have never tried this, they are $60 games on platforms that only gamers own. Not all gamers, as they play on a variety of platforms. If they were free apps on phones, maybe they could be a hit.

Pokemon Go has gone viral due to a number of factors including being viral which brings curious people to try it because everyone else is doing it. So if Sony and MS did make something like this with their current IP's would it be such a hit? Who knows, if Angry Birds and Candy Crush can do it anything can.

But can it do it at all? More likely, if they specifically made an IP to be this big it would be more likely since their current IP's are more suited to home consoles than smartphones, but they will have to spread beyond gaming to bring non gamers which can be done, and both would complement each other to raise the popularity of one another.

Also, GTA V is way bigger than Pokemon. The paid Pokemon games sell 15 million, GTA V has sold 65 million units. If it was a free app on smartphones it could have done more. If the series gets a new free game on smartphone who knows, it could be even bigger than Pokemon Go.

Two very different markets. 

Mom/sister/30 year with kids ain't likely playing Grand Theft Auto even if you paid them to. Nintendo's IP do have the upside of being accepted by a far wider audience because they are family friendly.

GTA is its own phenemonon for sure, but it will never have the reach Nintendo can have *when* Nintendo hits pay dirt with something. Though it isn't something Nintendo can even do on cue. 

For every Pokemon or Pokemon Go, there's a Pikmin or Nintendoland that failed to be able to connect in the way Nintendo was banking on.

These markets overlap more than you think. Many females like GTA and some don't. Same with Pokemon. You can't know what people really like more and what appeals more to them by just what you think would be a logical conclusion.

GTA is huge, don't underestimate it. Gamers and non gamers alike know about it, and its gameplay is such that AR might actually make sense. As I said, anything made by anyone could be huge in the mobile market, but when its as popular as GTA, its even more likely to be so.



Around the Network
Ck1x on 15 July 2016
Soundwave said:
Nogamez said:

I'm sorry define " A cultural phenomenon" for me. 

Something that is so popular that it transcends the traditional bounds of its genre/subject/industry type and becomes tied to the broader popular culture of its time. 

I think there is some confusion here as to something being popular, but popular or successful alone doesn't mean it's a "cultural phenomenon". 

The Avengers is a popular/successful movie, but I wouldn't say it's a "cultural phenomenon". Titanic (1997) was a cultural phenomenon. 

The Macarena is a cultural phenomenon. Michael Jackson's Thriller is a cultural phenomenon. The Beatles are a cultural phenomenon. Pokemon is one for sure, it's actually now twice phenmeonon, which is exceptionally rare. 

This post should be on the front page giving the perfect scenario of what's a cultural phenomenon! Very well said and your examples are spot on. Everything you mentioned defined it's generation and was heralded as the best of what it was...



John19 on 15 July 2016

GOWTLOZ said:
Also, GTA V is way bigger than Pokemon. The paid Pokemon games sell 15 million, GTA V has sold 65 million units. If it was a free app on smartphones it could have done more.

Well obviously GTA V sold that much considering it's on 5 different platforms compared to Pokemon being on 1



GOWTLOZ on 15 July 2016
John19 said:

GOWTLOZ said:
Also, GTA V is way bigger than Pokemon. The paid Pokemon games sell 15 million, GTA V has sold 65 million units. If it was a free app on smartphones it could have done more.

Well obviously GTA V sold that much considering it's on 5 different platforms compared to Pokemon being on 1

And GTA V has sold more on PS3 and Xbox 360 each than Pokemon games have sold this gen on one platform, despite consumers also buying it on other platforms and that eating the sales on these platforms.

GTA V also costs $60 while Pokemon is $40.



dongo8 on 15 July 2016

Definitely not, Nintendo are the only ones with the right parameters to do so. They have a 700+ character set of Pokemon, no other company has that kind of breadth, plus they don't have a cast of characters with the kind of brand recognition that Nintendo and Pokemon have created. There is nothing like it anywhere.



NNID: Dongo8                              XBL Gamertag: Dongos Revenge

Around the Network
John19 on 15 July 2016
GOWTLOZ said:
John19 said:

Well obviously GTA V sold that much considering it's on 5 different platforms compared to Pokemon being on 1

And GTA V has sold more on PS3 and Xbox 360 each than Pokemon games have sold this gen on one platform, despite consumers also buying it on other platforms and that eating the sales on these platforms.

GTA V also costs $60 while Pokemon is $40.

Again, of course it sold more on PS3 and 360 each, they had a much larger install base compared to Pokemon on 3DS.

And about prices, it's true that Pokemon is $40, but it also pretty much stays at $40. The price of GTA V has gone down since it's original price tag of $60.



GOWTLOZ on 15 July 2016
SpokenTruth said:
Consoles sales do not translate into phone game sales/downloads.

How are Call of Duty, Assassin's Creed, Madden, and others doing on mobile? They have games there but they are nothing like their console brethren in terms of sales.

COD doesn't have phone games and its not popular outside of gaming. GTA definitely is very popular everywhere and even non gamers know about it and probably have played it.

Assassin's Creed phone games try to do what the console games do much better so its not popular on phones. And its not as popular an IP as Pokemon. Pokemon Go is not something you get anywhere else, its unique.



GOWTLOZ on 15 July 2016
John19 said:
GOWTLOZ said:

And GTA V has sold more on PS3 and Xbox 360 each than Pokemon games have sold this gen on one platform, despite consumers also buying it on other platforms and that eating the sales on these platforms.

GTA V also costs $60 while Pokemon is $40.

Again, of course it sold more on PS3 and 360 each, they had a much larger install base compared to Pokemon on 3DS.

And about prices, it's true that Pokemon is $40, but it also pretty much stays at $40. The price of GTA V has gone down since it's original price tag of $60.

Install base doesn't automatically lead to sales, people buy consoles to play GTA games and they have to be interested enough in a game to buy it.

GTA V has also sold more on PS4 than Pokemon Alpha Sapphire and Omega Ruby despite the PS4 having a smaller install base than 3DS.



TheBlackNaruto on 15 July 2016
GOWTLOZ said:
John19 said:

Well obviously GTA V sold that much considering it's on 5 different platforms compared to Pokemon being on 1

And GTA V has sold more on PS3 and Xbox 360 each than Pokemon games have sold this gen on one platform, despite consumers also buying it on other platforms and that eating the sales on these platforms.

GTA V also costs $60 while Pokemon is $40.

I think you are confused here.....Because GTA V has sold more than Pokemon this gen it doesn't make it BIGGER than Pokemon....Pokemon goes FAR beyond video game sales and I think that is where you are missing the mark.  When you have the games, shows, movies, toys, clothing etc WORLDWIDE GTA is not even CLOSE to Pokemon hence the reason Pokemon is a CULTURAL PHENOMENON while GTA is just popular.



The absence of evidence is NOT the evidence of absence...

PSN: StlUzumaki23

GOWTLOZ on 15 July 2016
SpokenTruth said:
GOWTLOZ said:

COD doesn't have phone games and its not popular outside of gaming.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.activision.callofduty.striketeam&hl=en

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.activision.callofduty.heroes&hl=en

I didn't know about them but looking at them, one is a paid app and neither have what really sells COD, the FPS gameplay and multiplayer.