The Pokémonfranchise has had plenty of creative spin-offs over the years, but not all of them necessarily need to return. Some series, like Pokémon Mystery Dungeon, effectively have the legs to be just as evergreen as the mainline games. Others, however, have been more or less rendered obsolete over the years.
One of the biggest examples is Pokémon Stadium, which felt like a revelation when it debuted on the Nintendo 64. Following Pokémon‘s initial confinement to 8-bit handhelds, getting to see Pikachu and friends in N64 games was a consistent treat, and games like Pokémon Snapand Hey You, Pikachu! also made a mark. Pokémon Stadium might have been the most exciting of the bunch, focusing on battles in 3D arenas, but all these years later, it’s hard to imagine Nintendo greenlighting a successor.
Pokémon Stadium Already Played Its Part
Pokémon Stadium had a short-lived lifespan as a series, starting with the original game in 1999 and ending with the December 14, 2000, release of Pokémon Stadium 2. While the following 25 years haven’t been total radio silence — Pokémon Colosseum is something of an indirect successor, and the games eventually mounted a Nintendo Switch Online comeback — the IP appears to be thoroughly dead in most senses.
Revisiting Pokémon Stadium can still be charming, but it also makes the lack of a need for another game clear. As the mainline Pokémon games have developed, they’ve started to cover the same ground that Pokémon Stadium once did. The Switch effectively broke down the barriers for good, bringing the mainline games out of the top-down world and into full 3D environments.
Pokémon’s True 3D Era Is Totally Different
If Pokémon Stadium were to compete today, it would need a radical overhaul to feel like it offered a complete experience that the mainline games didn’t. In a sense, more radical departures like Pokkén Tournament might fill the void more than a new Pokémon Stadium could. While the series continues to struggle with issues like performance, the magic of a 3D console experience is no longer an exclusive draw for a Pokémon game.
None of this means that the door should be permanently closed on a Pokémon Stadium revival, but there would need to be a very good reason to re-open it. Game Freak clearly has enough on its plate as is, and Pokémon Stadium‘s long-term dormancy makes perfect sense. The games served their purpose, and that purpose has now departed. It’s nice to let some things rest.
- Released
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February 29, 2000
- ESRB
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e
- Developer(s)
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Nintendo EAD, HAL Laboratory
- Multiplayer
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Local Multiplayer
