Pokemon X & Y Is Social, Has Solid Localization

The announcement of the new Pokemon X & Y video games for the 3DS broke with the traditional naming that Nintendo and GameFreak used for titles in the series and it seems that the move is designed to show that the franchise is getting a fresh start.

J.C. Smith, the consumer marketing director for The Pokemon Company International, tells Gamasutra that, “I can say that the names help unify the experience internationally because they’re the same worldwide. This is the first time Pokemon titles have launched simultaneously around the world.”

Developer GameFreak might speak more about the significance of the name change in the coming months.

Pokemon X & Y is also the first title in the series to be released at the same time all over the world and Smith says that both the developers and Nintendo have aimed for simultaneous launches for some time, but they have only perfected the required localization process recently.

The executive also commented on the social nature of the coming game, adding, “From the trading card game to video games, our aim is to bring players together. We launched our official Facebook and Twitter presence for Pokemon in North America last year and social media will be part of our strategy for communication and community going forward.”

Pokemon X & Y is important because it moves the franchise into the 3D space for the first time, allowing players to take a fresh look at their favorite characters.

The titles will introduce a mix of old and new creatures and there’s also talk about some important changes made to the combat mechanics.

GameFreak and Nintendo are known as fairly conservative companies and it will be interesting to see exactly how the two companies take advantage of the unique possibilities of the 3DS.

Pokemon X & Y will be launched on the Nintendo 3DS handheld in late fall 2013.