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NEWS: 1st Yo-kai Watch Game's Switch Version Previewed in Video




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CastMember1991



Joined: 06 Feb 2012
Posts: 858
PostPosted: Fri Aug 09, 2019 6:41 pm Reply with quote
I still can't believe the franchise never became the next Pokémon like a lot of news sources said it would. There are also plenty of reasons it didn't catch on in North America especially.

The first two games in the series were respectively launched on the same day as Call of Duty: Black Ops III (2015) and a 1-2 punch of Final Fantasy XV and Pokémon Sun and Moon. Both times were the wrong time to launch. The TV show was also on a cable channel that wasn't watched that much. It was on Disney XD as opposed to the regular Disney Channel. Not to mention Hasbro did a horrible job with the toy line.

Last edited by CastMember1991 on Sat Aug 10, 2019 9:09 am; edited 1 time in total
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Amibite



Joined: 01 Jul 2004
Posts: 196
PostPosted: Fri Aug 09, 2019 11:26 pm Reply with quote
CastMember1991 wrote:
I still can't believe the franchise never became the next Pokémon like a lot of news sources said it would. There are also plenty of reasons it didn't catch on in North America especially..


Level 5 has a lot of flash in the pan franchises. They're popular for about 5 years then fade away. I'm starting to wonder if it's mismanagement on Level 5's part. They seem to fumble every successful franchise they make.
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CastMember1991



Joined: 06 Feb 2012
Posts: 858
PostPosted: Sat Aug 10, 2019 9:28 am Reply with quote
Amibite wrote:
CastMember1991 wrote:
I still can't believe the franchise never became the next Pokémon like a lot of news sources said it would. There are also plenty of reasons it didn't catch on in North America especially..


Level 5 has a lot of flash in the pan franchises. They're popular for about 5 years then fade away. I'm starting to wonder if it's mismanagement on Level 5's part. They seem to fumble every successful franchise they make.


I think when we look at Yo-kai Watch, it was a franchise that shouldn't have launched in the West. Americans have seen this kind of humor before in many Nickelodeon shows, and the concept of Japanese culture and mythology doesn’t really appeal to those who aren’t hardcore fans of Japan (as I am). Not to mention, the games weren't fun at all. Therefore, the universal appeal wasn’t there. This is not about branding, this is about content. Content has always driven the brand. If you don’t have the content, the brand will fail.
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