Pokémon Champions director Masaaki Hoshino has ruled-out any addition of single-player content in the game for the time being, with the focus instead remaining on PvP.
The mobile and Nintendo Switch title released earlier this year and recently made its debut as the VGC title at the Pokémon World Championships in California, having first been utilized in the format earlier this year.
Pokémon Champions has proven to be extremely popular, but while some fans clamour for single-player content in a similar vein to the fan-favorite Pokémon Stadium title, Hoshino made it clear it’s not currently a priority.
Single-Player Conbtent Would Make PvP ‘More Difficult’
Speaking to VGC at the World Championships, Hoshino stated that any single-player content would add complications to the PvP scene, and while it’s not ruled out permanently, it’s clear it’s not high on the list of priorities.
“For the time being, we probably won’t be adding additional modes similar to Pokémon Stadium. The reason is, if you start adding a lot of single-player modes, that kind of moves people away from the PvP.
“And that actually increases the match time, which makes it a little more difficult for a PvP game. So at least while more people are increasingly playing, I want to focus on PvP for the time being.”
Pokémon Champions currently utilizes the Mega Evolution gimmick that returned in Pokémon Legends: Z-A and to the TCG, but the door is open for other gimmicks like Gigantamax, Terrastalization, and more in the future, but Mega Evolution will remain the core mechanic for now.
“For the time being, we’ll probably stick to Mega Evolution, but [we] definitely want to add more in the future,” Hoshino explained.
“Especially because there’s a lot of people who, through these Pokémon, are seeing some Mega Pokémon for the first time, so they would probably still be more comfortable with the Mega environment at the moment. [But we’re] not saying that these additional kinds of gimmicks will not be added later.
“But in terms of whether they will, if the new gimmick comes in, whether it will replace it [Mega Evolution] or it’ll be in parallel, we still need some trial and error there, depending on how difficult it is. So undecided, but under consideration.”
Check out the Pokémon Champions overview trailer below.
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