Like it or not, the social element of Pokémon is the main reason why it became so successful.
Youre not supposed to buy the other version youre supposed to interact with other human beings to get the others
My friends and I just told each other which versions we were getting and got different ones.
You mean that's the line they fed us when it was to sell multiple copies to the same buyer.
Yep. It's annoying and it shouldn't be a thing, but I'm part of the problem because I bought both versions of every mainline 3DS Pokemon. I'll probably do the same with Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, since I want my living dex and I don't want the monsters to have other people's OT (unless they are from official distributions).ftfy. The market knows this is the reason, the market doesn't care. Hell, even on GAF people bring it up in the same sentence as they talk about buying both copies.
You honestly telling me that hardcore pokemon players don't end up buying both versions themselves ?
You don't need multiple versions to encourage trading.How is trading an excuse? They want you to trade so they make more money. They make the game into a social experience so that you convince your friends to play it too and they make more money. I don't understand where people think the conflict is between those two explanations.
You mean that's the line they fed us when it was to sell multiple copies to the same buyer.
How is trading an excuse? They want you to trade so they make more money. They make the game into a social experience so that you convince your friends to play it too and they make more money. I don't understand where people think the conflict is between those two explanations.
You don't need multiple versions to encourage trading.
Or even to [i[]force[/I] trading.
To encourage people to buy the same game multiple times. It's scummy shit that for some reason never gets called out.
ftfy. The market knows this is the reason, the market doesn't care. Hell, even on GAF people bring it up in the same sentence as they talk about buying both copies.
$10 for DLC that adds 10 new pokemon and swaps a few story beats - OUTRAGEOUS !
$40 for the same game but swapping out 10 pokemon - Hmmmm, this seems fine.
Basically, it's secret DLC.
an interesting question would be to ask how many of you guys buy both versions of pokemon
You honestly telling me that hardcore pokemon players don't end up buying both versions themselves ?
Now if we wanted to talk about a strategy that was about getting people to buy two copies of what is essentially the same game, we need to look at the "expanded third version" model that comes out later ala Emerald or Platinum
...what on earth are you talking about?You don't need most aspects of a game, they're there to make the product more attractive and make people more interested in buying it.
Hell, you don't need to buy games at all. They're a luxury item. They don't really need to do anything.
...what on earth are you talking about?
Oh lots of people buying the trading excuse huh
Zelda oracle games were the only ones I've double dipped on
Please don't tell me "because business"
Ok, honest question. Who actually buys 2 versions of the same game? Kids with limited budget certainly won't. Parents won't. Adults that know better won't. So who really?Tbh, I doubt anyone in this thread buys both versions of Pokemon. Ever since Red and Blue I've only ever chosen my favorite color/legendary on the box. Never bought the second, or even played most of the 3rd games. I do have Black 2 though, which is a direct sequel to Black.
Only Pokémon I've bought was Blue. I don't see how my individual buying habits are relevant to the question in the op though.Tbh, I doubt anyone in this thread buys both versions of Pokemon. Ever since Red and Blue I've only ever chosen my favorite color/legendary on the box. Never bought the second, or even played most of the 3rd games. I do have Black 2 though, which is a direct sequel to Black.
Ever noticed how Pokémon you receive from a friend level up faster? Anyone who denies they made an effort to encourage trading is delusional."Encourage trading" lol
Ok, honest question. Who actually buys 2 versions of the same game? Kids with limited budget certainly won't. Parents won't. Adults that know better won't. So who really?
Tbh, I doubt anyone in this thread buys both versions of Pokemon. Ever since Red and Blue I've only ever chosen my favorite color/legendary on the box. Never bought the second, or even played most of the 3rd games. I do have Black 2 though, which is a direct sequel to Black.
Ok, honest question. Who actually buys 2 versions of the same game? Kids with limited budget certainly won't. Parents won't. Adults that know better won't. So who really?
Officially, Pokémon has two versions to encourage players to trade and battle with each other.
In reality, they know there are plenty of rubes who have money and no friends who will buy two systems and each version of the game to trade with themselves.
To encourage people to buy the same game multiple times. It's scummy shit that for some reason never gets called out.
This so much. And I am saying that as someone who owns almost all mainline Pokemon games because my wife is a huge fan. And it got even worse with stuff like Ultra Moon/Sun and Black/White 2. Still waiting for Pokemon locked behind Amiibos in addition to the two-version-bullshit.$10 for DLC that adds 10 new pokemon and swaps a few story beats - OUTRAGEOUS !
$40 for the same game but swapping out 10 pokemon - Hmmmm, this seems fine.
Basically, it's secret DLC.
Ever noticed how Pokémon you receive from a friend level up faster? Anyone who denies they made an effort to encourage trading is delusional.
Only Pokémon I've bought was Blue. I don't see how my individual buying habits are relevant to the question in the op though.
(You're also ignoring multiple people who have said they buy both versions every gen).
It's really weird people are doubting this lol.
But more weird is that they ignore that it's entirely possible (and likely) that encouraging trading was done mainly to sell more as well. They can put in mechanics that make interactions necessary AND profit from double dippers just fine.
Not to mention third, "definitive" versions of Pokemon games are a thing and that's definitely "easy" money too. It's all of the above, basically.
Youre not supposed to buy the other version youre supposed to interact with other human beings to get the others
There's nothing done in Pokémon that couldn't have been done with a single version. Especially in the originals that only allowed a single save file.
I know this is the obvious justification, but it falls apart under any scrutiny.
CoolBecause that's how most buy Pokemon. You had Blue, but the most popular version was Red. And it's all done as a social aspect with people buying different versions, they want kids to go out and socialize, trade with friends, battle with friends, much like trading cards.
Third versions and sequels typically sell lower than the previous versions though. We'll see the same with Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon.
Cool
The question was "why are there multiple versions?"
The answer is "to encourage people to buy the same game multiple times"
Are we done here?
Cool.But only a small few are buying the same game multiple times. Majority pick their favorite, stick with it, trade with others.