Detective Pikachu 2, the sequel to the 2016’s game, finally comes back in the news. According to Creatures Inc and Pokémon TCG Development Division Senior Game Programmer Jonathan Murphy, Detective Pikachu 2 is “nearing release.”
The original Detective Pikachu game came out in 2016 for Nintendo 3DS consoles. This single-player adventure game features a talking Pikachu that helps a boy named Tim Goodman solve various mysteries.
Unlike the main entries in the Pokémon series, the goal of Detective Pikachu isn’t to catch’em all. Instead, the game focuses on narrative storytelling and the story behind the disappearance of the main character’s father and previous owner of this talking Pikachu.
The gameplay of Detective Pikachu doesn’t feature throwing Pokéballs and forcing poor Pokémon to fight against one another. This game features more 3D elements than the traditional entries in the series, with Pikachu interviewing other Pokémon and searching for clues to solve various mysteries.
Upon its release, Detective Pikachu received mixed reviews, some critics stating that this game would work better as a movie. The Pokémon Company took that feedback to the letter and released Pokémon Detective Pikachu in the theaters in 2019.
Ryan Reynolds voiced the talkative Pikachu, starring alongside Justice Smith in the role of Tim Goodman. Pokémon Detective Pikachu ranked second in the list of highest-grossing video game adaptations, right behind 2016’s Warcraft. The movie grossed a worldwide total of $433.9 million, for a production budget of $150 million.
Despite being an original and fun take on the Pokémon universe, it seems that Pokémon Detective Pikachu won’t receive a sequel. In May 2021, Justice Smith revealed that the plans for a sequel have been scrapped. “I don’t know if it’s going to happen,” Smith said. “I think we have to just kind of bury our hopes. I don’t think it’s going to happen. I really hope so though. Honestly, I’m such a huge fan, who knows, who knows? I hope so.” As of the time of this writing, there is no news about a sequel to the Pokémon Detective Pikachu movie.
If the movie is not getting a sequel, it seems that the 2016’s video game will get its follow-up. Nintendo announced Detective Pikachu 2 back in 2019 but didn’t share much information about the game since.
On top of announcing that Detective Pikachu 2 could soon hit the shelves, Senior Game Programmer Jonathan Murphy declared working on “one unannounced project.” This update from Murphy not only confirms that Detective Pikachu 2 is still under development, but that it could be announced really soon. The latest Pokémon Presents dates back to August 3rd, while the last Nintendo Direct happened ten days ago. We can expect more news about Detective Pikachu 2 by the end of the year, or more likely at the beginning of 2023.
