It has been six years since Detective Pikachu was released on the Nintendo 3DS. There’s been a Ryan Reynolds movie based on the game and a sequel game was announced for the Nintendo Switch in 2019. Since then, news on the game’s sequel has been non-existent. To the point where some have been wondering if it’s even still on the way. Well, the good news is that Detective Pikachu 2 developer Creatures Inc is hiring for the game which confirms that nothing nefarious has happened to the sequel.
In a job posting on Creatures Inc’s website the company says it is looking for someone who can work on a “project related to the sequel to Detective Pikachu.” The company said it is looking for someone to work “on supporting physically-based rendering, and looking for a balance between realism and Pokemon-ness.” Interestingly, the job posting also asked for experience in technologies that, frankly, are above the Nintendo Switch’s paygrade. “As new technologies appear every day, super-resolution technologies such as ray tracing and DLSS may become indispensable. We are also paying attention to the technology introduced in the latest game engines such as Unreal Engine 5.” That’s a lot of stuff the Nintendo Switch doesn’t have.
It’s highly unlikely that Detective Pikachu will actually make use of any of those technologies. But it is interesting that Creatures Inc, one of the main Pokémon developers, is looking at them. As one of Nintendo’s most important franchises, it would make sense that the developers of Pokémon have early access to future Nintendo hardware. Perhaps DLSS could make its way to the Nintendo Switch 2?
Given the lack of official news on Detective Pikachu 2 since the original announcement, the job posting is the best sign yet that the game hasn’t been ditched. Hopefully, fans get some official news on the game soon.