The upcoming Detective Pikachu Returns is a very curious title for fans of the mainline franchise. The game was initially released in Japan back in 2016 and then given a worldwide release in 2018. The title featured a talking and coffee-drinking Pikachu that would work alongside a human to solve cases, a huge contrast from the mainline games in various ways. But, the game was so unique and successful in its own right that it inspired a live-action adaptation that was also successful. It was even the best-grossing video game movie adaptation ever at that time. That led The Pokemon Company to eventually make the sequel that’s coming to Nintendo Switch.
In an interview with ComicBook.com, director Yasunori Yanagisawa talked about multiple elements of the upcoming game. But he also talked about how the game wouldn’t reflect the movie adaptation in several key ways. The first is that the movie wrapped up the main storyline featuring Tim Goodman and Detective Pikachu. In contrast, the game still has that mystery going, and it will likely have a different conclusion.
To that end, the director also stated that while there is going to be some kind of “ending” for Tim and Detective Pikachu in the upcoming title, that doesn’t mean the series is about to end:
“For Detective Pikachu Returns, there is a nice cutoff point with Tim and Detective Pikachu’s story, but there is a desire to grow Detective Pikachu’s story. We’re hoping that there’s some continuation.”
As to what kind of “continuation” they mean is unclear; then again, they could simply want to keep the franchise going with a third installment on whatever system Nintendo does next. Or, given the release of certain spinoff anime, we could see Tim Goodman and Detective Pikachu get the 2D animated treatment and get their own miniseries. The Pokemon Company has been on a roll with such things, so nothing is out of contention.
Plus, should work start on a third installment now; it’s very possible that a third entry within the series could easily come out before the next mainline entry of the franchise, as The Pokemon Company is still working on Gen 9’s DLC.
It’s not hard to see how the story could continue in a basic way, as it would simply be about a new mystery that gets Detective Pikachu itching to solve crimes. Whether Tim is with him or he gets a new partner is the only mystery in that equation.