An executive for The Pokémon Company claimed a Detective Pikachu spinoff was not entirely out of the question.
Per Famitsu, The Pokémon Company president Tsunekazu Ishihara confirmed Detective Pikachu developer Creatures Inc. might be open to a spinoff title depending on the market performance of the series’ latest entry, Detective Pikachu Returns. “I can’t make any promises at this point, but if Detective Pikachu Returns is well-received and there is a lot of demand from everyone, there is room for a spin-off,” Ishihara said.
Ishihara did not confirm how many sales would convince executives to green-light a possible spinoff for Detective Pikachu. Still, longtime fans of the series can take heart from the latest entry’s outstanding performance at launch. Detective Pikachu Returns has been an overwhelming success in Japanese markets, with 16,428 units moved throughout the week of Oct. 9 to Oct. 15 and a grand total of 101,887 units sold since its Oct. 6 release. This placed it at the top of Famitsu’s sales charts, where it currently stands above other beloved titles such as Pikmin 4 and Pokémon Scarlet and Violet.
The Future of Detective Pikachu
It remains to be seen what the future has in store for the Detective Pikachu franchise, given that Creatures managing director Hiroyuki Jinnai confirmed Detective Pikachu Returns will be the last entry to focus on the story of Tim Goodman and his titular wise-talking Pikachu. Director Yasunori Yanagisawa previously admitted he was interested in developing a possible Detective Pikachu spinoff, which would focus on Pikachu’s beloved pre-evolution baby form, Pichu. Yanagisawa specifically conjured an image of an “apprenticed” Pichu, who would work and receive guidance from Pikachu throughout the hypothetical spinoff.
Released in 2018, Detective Pikachu is an adventure-puzzle game, which follows Tim on his search for his father, the model detective Harry Goodman. Along the way, he meets up with his father’s partner, Pikachu, who can not only talk but also claims to be a great detective. The series additionally received a live-action adaptation in 2019, which starred actors Justice Smith and Ryan Reynolds as Tim and Pikachu, respectively. Production company Legendary Entertainment further confirmed a Detective Pikachu sequel is in active development, though a release date has yet to be announced.
Detective Pikachu Returns is available for Nintendo Switch.
Source: Famitsu
