Can fan games without new pokemon get popular?

[Lytbulb]

I have an amazing idea for a pokemon fan game. I got a great story, amazing challenges, new mega evolution, etc.
But I don't know if people will get the game just because it doesn't have new pokemon. I've been thinking about just adding new pokemon just so people will play it, but it may ruin a few things and change the story too much. Such as the main legendary, which is something I can not replace or do similar to the story (for reasons I won't explain yet.). So I was wondering, does anyone think that you can make a popular fan game without adding new pokemon?
Thank You!

 

[Presley]

Yeah, definitely. Fan games without Fakemon can definitely become popular. I don't think a lot of fan games out there always have good Fakemon, let alone Fakemon. As long as your game looks enticing in other ways, people will most definitely still play.

 

[Dragonite]

I could give this an in-depth answer but my brain's recovering from a certain jam (please don't hate me) so I'll just start by asking what about fakémon is integral to a game being good, as opposed to a fakéstory, a fakéregion, fakémoves, et al.

 

[Lytbulb]

Yeah, definitely. Fan games without Fakemon can definitely become popular. I don't think a lot of fan games out there always have good Fakemon, let alone Fakemon. As long as your game looks enticing in other ways, people will most definitely still play.

Thanks, that's good to hear!

 

[Atomic Reactor]

Don't worry about pleasing certain crowds. You'll never please everyone, so just focus on a game that you enjoy and that you would want to play. Don't worry about what other people want. That doesn't mean don't take suggestions and critique, obviously. But ultimately you are the one who needs to be happy with the product, so focus on what YOU want, not what some other people may or may not want.

Your aim should not be popularity, your aim should be something you are happy and proud of.

 

[Lytbulb]

Don't worry about pleasing certain crowds. You'll never please everyone, so just focus on a game that you enjoy and that you would want to play. Don't worry about what other people want. That doesn't mean don't take suggestions and critique, obviously. But ultimately you are the one who needs to be happy with the product, so focus on what YOU want, not what some other people may or may not want.

Your aim should not be popularity, your aim should be something you are happy and proud of.

Thanks, It was more of a concern over people wanting to help with the project in the first place.

 

[doof]

Thanks, It was more of a concern over people wanting to help with the project in the first place.

That's a whole different thing in itself. That depends on what you're capable of doing. People won't join a developer that doesn't know how to make a game.

 

[Lytbulb]

That's a whole different thing in itself. That depends on what you're capable of doing. People won't join a developer that doesn't know how to make a game.

Luckily, I totally know what I'm doing (aside from a few minor problems with changing my game's art style from gen 3 to gen 4). So if that's what it takes, then I think I'm set! Time to look for new members ^_^

 

[Hematite]

Honestly, I've seen a lot more dislike/negativity towards games that DO use Fakemon than ones that don't - I've actually seen people have discussions to the effect of this:

"This fangame is the best ever!"
"Does it have Fakemon? If it does, it can't be the best fangame ever."
"No, it doesn't have Fakemon, don't worry."
"Okay, cool, then I'll try it."

I certainly haven't seen that level of active hate here or anything, but I'm pretty sure that even here on Relic, a good portion of people outright prefer (not just tolerate) fangames without Fakemon - not having them is definitely more likely to get you fans than it is to cost you any!

In general, I think Fakemon are subject to much harsher criticisms than nearly any other aspect of fangames - a lot of the time, any Fakemon that isn't perfect in every way sticks out like a sore thumb and really alienates the audience. This also applies equally to canon games: just look at all of the people who overlook all of Gen V because of the lack of older Pokémon in BW and because the new Pokémon included the Trubbish and Vanillite lines! Edit: which I actually really like, personally, but I'm not talking about myself here!

Personally, I love Fakemon, and there are obviously a ton of people who do - my own opinion is that they're my favorite part of the creative process and that they enrich the experience. But if it's any reassurance to you, then from what I've seen, Fakemon really are definitely not as popular as you might expect, and the majority of people seem to fall less on my side of things and more on the perspective that they're not all that great - as much as I love Fakemon myself, I'm pretty sure you're not losing on many potential players for not having them!

Edit: Over a year later, I've caught and adjusted two poorly chosen words that were grating on me.

 

[Mr. Gela]

You don't need anything in particular to make a successful game, other than dedication and passion. Remember you're doing this for you, as a hobby; If you want to have Fakémon just go ahead. If you don't, don't force yourself to do that either. You will not succeed if you don't love what you're building.

 

[aiyinsi]

Well I've played quite a few fangames that have an interesting story but had no fakemon. I like those games a lot.

Specially with challenging games having Pokémon is more comfortable because the player can focus on the challenges and doesn't have to focus on all the type advantages.

When the game is about exploring a new region (canon style like) I like having Fakémon more. But it isn't a must.

 

[Sableye]

I guess it depends what you want out of a homebrew game.

If You want to provide a collecting challenge and have some ideas/commentary on the state of the Pokémon meta etc then fakemon are probably good. Heck a game with a set of all-type Eeveeloutions would be cool for example.

For me, my grain of an idea is set within Pokémon game world/canon-ish so I wouldn't want or need to add fakemon. I want to explore using powerful Pokémon from a lower level since training through normal story mode is what appeals to me!

Ultimately it's up to you, my personal view is that unless the fakemon are balanced or adding something novel then I'm probably going to stick with what I know unless I get a mega recommendation!

 

[MadDeodorant]

Dude! Look at Pokémon Phoenix Rising! It's probably the most popular unreleased fan game out there. It has no Fakémon, but instead focuses on amazing features, story and graphics. Of course Phoenix Rising has a whole team behind it, but try to do your best with your project and the attention will come later. For better or for worse. Good luck!