>>44871466Nothing has to trigger Pokemania. Actually, the fact that Pokemania is no longer happening is exactly the right conditions. Mind you, I don't mean that Pokemon is not the dominating force of the genre or that it's not churning out media while raking in cash. What I mean is that it isn't exploding anymore, and it hasn't been for a long time, even as it continues to expand as a franchise. It's strong, but not invulnerable. Unlikely to be killed, but unable to completely hold the field.
Pokemon effectively has nowhere to go anymore. It doesn't real have room to climb up, but it won't be knocked down. It's just there, like a fact. But it's not like games in that position are immune to competition. What usually happens to the best games? People make knock-offs for a while trying to get in on it, but eventually, someone makes their own game their own way, they make it well, and it carves out a niche in the market.
I'm not even suggesting that a whole series of games will come in and carve a huge chunk out of Pokemon's gains or anything. Just that other monster games can and will find success in time. But they aren't going to be doing it if they're trying to down Pokemon, and they're not going to be doing it if they're trying to be like Pokemon. It has to be a new mon game.
