Could In-Game Purchases Come to Pokémon? Game Freak Comments

Two members of the Pokémon development team have discussed whether in-game purchases would ever come to the world of Pokémon.

The in-game purchases/micro-transactions market has boomed on mobile and social platforms, with some of the most profitable titles relying on this business model for success. With Pokémon having an almost endless stream of fans, could the series ever incorporate another revenue model for Nintendo - could trainers purchase Pokémon with real money?

Art director Ken Sugimori said in an interview that he's always said "no" to the "he act of buying Pokémon with money", ever since the series began. He feels believes that it could "ruin the worldview" of the franchise, and that Game Freak want to protect the brand.

Therefore, suppose we sell a Pokémon for 100 yen, then we must prepare something that is worthy of that 100 yen, along with a reasonable consent for doing so.

That said, Nintendo have given away Pokémon in the past during ticketed events or going to see one of the films in cinemas. Sugimori replied that it would be a fun idea of "having the experience of a Pokémon who was featured in the movie you just saw".

Despite all this, it's not being ruled out completely, as "If we ever get the idea of 'this could be fun if we could sell it for real-life money,' or something similar during the planning of a future game, then perhaps we could sell them for 100 yen", confirmed Sugimori.

Would you like to see in-game purchases in the world of Pokémon?