Imagine you had knowledge of a brand-new game; when would be the best time to share its existence with people that cared? If you chose “on the day that its predecessor finally arrived 9 months after it was announced”, you might just be a jerk. That’s exactly what Tom Phillips, and gaming site Eurogamer, decided to do on the release of Pokémon Sun & Moon with the revelation that a third game, codenamed Pokémon Stars, was in the works.
Two months and one giant Nintendo Switch press conference later we’re still no closer to learning about whether or not the game exists. Other gaming journalists, eager to capitalize on the buzz about the title, even casually doled “info” on Reddit (yes, I’m referring to Laura K. Dale).
I like rumors. I imagine that most people visiting my site like rumors. What I don’t like is when professional gaming sites build up hype for a title that seems like it will be revealed soon, but ends up being a no-show. With Sun & Moon being announced a full nine months in advance, it wouldn’t be too crazy to assume that we would get a five or six month advance notice of Stars if it was going to be a Summer 2017 release (which was later “pushed back” according to these same sources).
Just because you have information doesn’t mean you need to share it right away. Professional gaming sites (which this site is not, we’re a fansite) should temper expectations and let fans have at least a little enjoyment of a game’s release before they’re bombarded with news about a successor that may or may not exist.
You all may feel different, but I had to weigh in with my disappointment on how the “professionals” have handled things.