Skip to main content

The Damaging Effects of Rumors


Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon were just revealed. What would normally be an exciting moment for a rapidly growing fandom has become a serious point of contention. There's no offensive content in the reveal, and the game looks pretty solid. So, why are people upset? For a very dangerous reason, people feel like they didn't get something they were going to.

Pokémon has never been one to adopt a system early on. When the 3DS was released, it didn't get a Pokémon game. It didn't get one until almost three years later, and the transition between DS and 3DS must be a lot more simple than that from 3DS to Switch.

Nobody should have expected that there would be a Pokémon game on the Switch this early. However, due to many things piled on top of one another, people did.

It all started with Eurogamer. In November, before the Switch had even been fully shown off, they reported on the existence of Pokémon Stars. It was to be a third installment in the story of the Alola region, similar to Pokémon Emerald and Pokémon Platinum. It was said it was going to release on the Switch and that it would include many new Pokémon.

The rumor spread like wildfire. Other leakers claimed that this leak was true, and Eurogamer was adamant about their source being reliable. Over the months since then, the public quickly began to believe that Pokémon Stars was a reality.

Then, on June 5th, a Pokémon Nintendo Direct was announced for the very next day. Tom Phillips, the Eurogamer writer who broke the story about Stars, was still maintaining that Pokémon Stars was real. People were very strongly expecting to visit Alola on their brand new console.

June 6th rolled around, and the Direct began. The presenter began the Direct, and he immediately began talking about the Nintendo Switch. 100,000 live viewers all listened intently and excitedly​, hoping to hear about Stars. However, they were surprised to see Pokken Tournament DX, an upgraded version of the original Pokken Tournament on the Wii U.

As Pokken faded away, we got a glimpse of the Alola region, busting at the seams with brand new content...on the 3DS. The live chat on the livestream exploded with despair. Twitter was flooded with complaints. At this point, we knew we weren't getting Pokémon Stars.

For months, people thought that they were for sure getting something amazing. While Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon would have most likely be one of the most exciting reveals for Pokémon fans, due to a misleading rumor, people are upset.

I don't think that Tom Phillips meant to mislead people. When you're in the business of trying to release unofficial information, you're bound to have a fake source at some point. However, I do think that people should be more careful with the information they release, and certainly with the information they believe.

I think that the chaos caused by all of this definitively proves that rumors can hurt real games. Due to these rumors, people expected something they shouldn't have, and were upset when they got something they should have expected.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Nintendo Switch Review

 Nintendo has always been innovative. They always try to do something new and creative. It doesn't always work, as the Wii U showed us, but they always try. No matter how you feel about Nintendo in recent years, you have to admit that they always try to do something unique. The Switch is no different.  The Nintendo Switch signals a new era of Nintendo. We all know that. However, at its core, it is still very much a Nintendo console, in the best and the worst ways. It comes with all the charm you'd expect. It has a lot of the barriers that are a Nintendo signature at this point. I'm speaking in very vague terms, but there is a lot to say about the Switch. Let's just dig into it.  The specs on the Switch are honestly nothing that impressive. However, as they always have, Nintendo makes the most of them. Although the screen is only 720p, much lower than the modern expectation, the games all look beautiful on the screen. The display is so crisp. I'm sure it...

Why Every Nintendo Fan NEEDS To Buy 1-2 Switch

 1-2 Switch  is the only Switch exclusive launch title developed by Nintendo. If that and the fact that it actually looks like a pretty fun time don't sell you, I know what might. When presented with this information, your perception on the necessity of 1-2 Switch  very well may change. The reason you should buy this game is because of the Switch itself.  I'll get to that in a second. First, let's look at the launch of the Nintendo Switch. The games confirmed to be releasing are Breath of the Wild, 1-2 Switch, Just Dance 2017, Skylanders Imaginators, World of Goo, Binding of Isaac, Little Inferno, Super Bomberman R, I Am Setsuna, and Human Resource Machine . While many of these may end up being really good games, they've almost all already been released on other consoles, or will do so simultaneously with the Switch release. The only "made for Switch" games here are Super Bomberman R ...and 1-2 Switch .   Super Bomberman R  looks okay, but with Konami...

How I Changed My Mind On The Launch Lineup and 1-2 Switch

 If we're being honest, the original Nintendo Switch launch lineup was pretty weak. It featured a measly five games, two of which were third party ports that will likely not sell at all. However, in the five weeks since the Nintendo Switch was fully revealed, this lineup has grown. It's grown a lot. The original Year One lineup picture posted by Nintendo of America's official Twitter account  A lot of games have been added since the initial lineup. The launch that originally consisted of five games is now at least twelve games. I am Setsuna, Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove, World of Goo, Little Inferno, Human Resource Machine , Snipperclips, and Fast RMX  have all been added to the March 3rd release day. /u/AbsoluteMagnitude's most recent Switch lineup  The lineup in general has grown exponentially. Reddit user  /u/AbsoluteMagnitude  has been consistently updating the original lineup picture with every game announcement. The image above...