There's An Odd Pokemon Mobile Game Coming Soon

Although big among gamers, Pokemon really hit mainstream when Pokemon GO launched last year. Although the hype may have dialed down a bit, the latest big update might revive the fever. Not wanting to let the opportunity pass, The Pokemon Company, the real actual owners of the Pokemon brand, is teasing a new game that will be coming soon to Android and iOS. You might, however, want to set your expectations low, as the game seemingly revolves around none other than Magikarp.

Magikarp, or Koiking in the Japanese original, is one of the more interesting species in the first generation of Pokemon. While it evolves into Gyarados, a powerful dragon-type creature (that looks like an overgrown shrimp), Magikarp itself is practically useless. It only knows one move, Splash, and leveling it up requires leeching it off your team's hard work or breeding.

It's tongue-in-cheek humor then that the upcoming game's title is "Splash! Magikarp!" ("Hanero! Koiking!"). Though other than the title, the teaser offers no other solid information. The site is themed like a newspaper reporting on how a fisherman discovered Magikarp-shaped holes on the ground in town. Considering this is a fish we're talking about, that's definitely an ominous phenomenon.

Whether the game turns out to be a detective game or a fishing game, we'll have to wait for an indefinite time to find out. The game has no date attached to it other than "2017", which can be any of the 10 remaining months. Another mystery waiting to be solved is whether the game will also launch outside of Japan.

Aside from the strangeness of the theme, Splash! Magikarp! will have some significance for the franchise. It will be the fourth official Pokemon title to hit mobile devices, after Pokemon GO, Pokemon Duel, and Pokemon Shuffle. After whetting gamers' appetites with Pokemon GO, the next Pokemon game will receive even more scrutiny than usual.

SOURCE: The Pokemon Company

VIA: Kotaku