Pokémon titles have always been made for fans of all ages, but it looks like Pokkén Tournament will be more for the older fans of the franchise, who are now adults. Tekken series chief producer Katsuhiro Harada recently shared more about the game’s target audience in an interview with 4Gamer.
4Gamer notes that the game’s official website mentions that it says that the game is “not only for children, but for the Pokémon fans who’ve grown up and are in their 20s”. They ask what age demographic the game is aiming for, primarily.
“Naturally, it’s being developed into something that elementary school children can also enjoy, but if we’re talking about age demographics, we’re aiming for something over 18 years of age to the early 30s,” responds Harada.
“When it comes to Pokémon, everyone says they love it up until the fourth grade, and what’s funny is that there are kids who graduate from it after that,” he continues. “Well… it’s not that they ‘graduate,’ since they’re still fans, but they just don’t show [their enthusiasm], and kind of play it more behind-the-scenes.”
Harada points out: “That applies to some of the kids out there. However, for some reason, once they get into their 20s, there are more and more people who enthusiastically share their love for Pokémon.”
“This title is being made as an ‘adult’s Pokémon’ for that generation of people who grew up with Pokémon. Those in their 20s and 30s today have spent a lot of time during their school days with Pokémon, and have some strong memories looking back at the games and anime.”
“And for those people, Pokkén will finally allow them to experience what it’s like to freely move around their favorite Pokémon, and I expect it to be a very impressive title. Please look forward to it.”
Pokkén Tournament will release in 2015 for arcades in Japan.
