The first brawler-style "Pokémon" title is confirmed to be released for the Wii U next year.
When The Pokémon Company announced last year that it was developing a fighting game based on its highly-popular and runaway hit Pokémon characters, many fans wondered if it would again be patterned after the previous "Pokémon" games. However, it seems that the upcoming title will be a different one, and a first-time genre for the franchise.
"Pokkén Tournament" is a fighting game with the different Pokémon themselves as fighters, in a gameplay based on the elements of "Tekken," a famous title in the genre.
In launching the Pokémon brawler, Bandai Namco's Katsuhiro Harada said, "Whether you are a casual player, a regular player or a hardcore player, anyone who likes Pokémon can have fun."
However, since the upcoming title is a brawler game rather than the previous kids-focused "Pokémon" trainer titles, Masaaki Hoshino, who also produced "Soul Calibur," stated that "Pokkén Tournament" is geared toward a more matured audience.
"For adult Pokémon fans, because we got our best developers, we made the best graphics, and created the best action game, so please! Please look forward to this!" he said.
"Pokkén Tournament" is already released as an arcade title in Japan. It was initially unclear if the title would make it to global audiences or if it would come out for consoles. The closest that fans worldwide came to getting a taste of the game was when it was shipped as a test title for arcades in select Dave & Busters locations.
During this year's Pokémon World Championships, however, Nintendo announced that "Pokkén Tournament" is shipping out of Japan after all. According to the announcement, the title will make its way to the Wii U and will be released worldwide in spring of next year.
