Yo-Kai Watch was positioned from the start to be something of an heir to the Pokémon empire— with similar themes, mechanics, and the ability to collect and trade, Yo-Kai Watch seemed like it had a real shot at becoming the “next” Pocket Monsters. That was in 2014, however, and in the years since, Pokémon remains just as hot a commodity as ever (if not more so) and Yo-Kai Watch functions as a complement to that series, not a replacement.
Still, it would be incorrect to label Yo-Kai Watch as a failure of any kind; it’s a huge hit in Japan and has made some serious inroads in the west. When Yo-Kai Watch 4 launched on Nintendo Switch in Japan this past June, however, it apparently didn’t quite garner the success that developer Level-5 had hoped for. As a result, for the first time ever, Yo-Kai Watch will be going multiplatform, with a PlayStation 4 port in the works.
Traditionally, the series has been a Nintendo exclusive, but those days seem to be done. It’s not necessarily a blow to Nintendo, but Yo-Kai Watch is a big global brand, and having the video games as a platform-exclusive was certainly a proverbial feather in the company’s cap. There’s still no word on when fans in the west can expect to play Yo-Kai Watch 4, but now they know they’ll have options as to which console they’ll be playing the game on.
Source: Nintendo Life