Nintendo 3DS fans may have to say their farewell to the popular game series "Pokémon."
The Nintendo 3DS is nearing its prime and fans will be saddened by the news that "Pokémon Ultra Sun" and "Pokémon Ultra Moon" could be the last games to be sold on the platform. The director of Game Freak, Shigeru Ohmori, detailed how they have seen the handheld console pushed to its limits.
Speaking to IGN recently, Ohmori described how "Pokémon Ultra Sun" and "Pokémon Ultra Moon" could be the zenith of the "Pokémon" video game series for the Nintendo 3DS. The GameFreak executive also made it clear the series needs more growth and they are looking at the Nintendo Switch to achieve that.
"When we were making 'Pokémon X and Y,' we really were trying to push the 3DS system to its absolute limits — which is what we thought we'd done," he explained.
Ohmori also noted that even with the earlier versions of "Pokémon Sun" and "Pokémon Moon," Game Freak was already spreading itself thin with what the handheld console was able to do. He revealed that with "Ultra Sun" and "Ultra Moon," they tried to push the system and they felt that at this point in the video game console's life, they've gotten what they can out of it.
He explained that they are now treating "Pokémon Ultra Sun" and "Pokémon Ultra Moon" as their farewell for the Nintendo 3DS. They could still release spin-off games and additional downloadable content (DLC) for "Ultra Sun" and "Ultra Moon" but their next batch of games will most likely be moving onto the Nintendo Switch.
"Pokémon Ultra Sun" and "Pokémon Ultra Moon" are the enhanced versions of "Pokémon Sun" and "Pokémon Moon" for the Nintendo 3DS. The enhanced iteration was made with Nintendo's idea of exploring the game without including Pokémon gyms and put the focus on scripted challenges as they are laid out in Alola.
Digital Trends reported that Game Freak is already in the process of developing a new "Pokémon" title for the Nintendo Switch.
"Pokémon Ultra Sun" and "Pokémon Ultra Moon" are is set to launch for the Nintendo 3DS on Nov. 17.
