What qualities do you think continue to make Pokemon games successful after more than a decade?
Kawachimaru: Many games may be similar to Pokémon, but there’s something unique about a Pokémon game that makes it clear it’s a Pokémon game. I don’t think there’s another game that could replace Pokémon. Masuda: The games are quite deep because we’re very dedicated in developing them, You can look at the games in many different ways. All the elements (Pokédex descriptions, Pokémon types, etc,) continue to be interesting and fun. Perhaps the ability to battle and trade with the next version that comes out also makes Pokémon games so appealing. They are all connected – you can bring your Pokémon from Diamond and Pearl to Platinum, you can use the DS dual slot to insert the Game Boy Advance Pokémon games. I think that type of connectivity makes Pokémon very appealing IGN: What was your first experience with Pokemon? Masuda: I developed “Sound Driver,” a program to play the audio in the games. I also oversaw all the sound effects, including the Pokémon voices. I started to program the gam
