It is possible that the drama surrounding POKEMON Nuzlocke Games is a miscommunication

Nuzlocke is a popular format for playing Pokémon video games. It is essentially a set of rules designed to make the game more challenging such as the introduction of permanent death (you have to release all fainting Pokémon) and you can only catch the first wild Pokémon you encounter in each area. There is more and you can read about it on Bulbapedia if you really want to. However, the format has been making headlines lately as former Nintendo employees and current YouTube duo Kit & Krysta recently claimed that The Pokémon Company (TPC) doesn’t really like this format, putting it on the same level as using a hack ROM. (something of questionable legality). This of course infuriated much of the internet with the company. The couple thought it might be fun to make a video where they play using Nuzlocke’s rules and the TPC shot it down with the above explanation. This sounds very harsh and confusing.

Pokemon Company Think Nuzlocke Races Are “On The Same Level As” ROM Hacks According To Former Nintendo Employees pic.twitter.com/X9x7o0rnE7

– Patterrz (@Patterrz) September 18, 2022

However, Joe Merrick, the webmaster of the hugely popular and very useful Serebii.net site was confused for a different reason. He said he talked to TPC and they claim they don’t really care about the people playing Nuzlocke games. Steve Sarumi from PKMNcast he seconded with Merrick stating that he too had talked to TPC about Nuzlocke and the company had no issues with it. So, this begs the question, what’s going on with this story?

I actually talked about it with TPCi.

They confirmed to me that this is incorrect.

They didn’t cut people off to do Nuzlockes or anything like that. They don’t care as long as you follow the boundaries of what’s possible in the game. https://t.co/Vb1aV6nrPk

– Joe Merrick (@Joe Merrick) September 18, 2022

I can also confirm when I spoke to TPC; they had no problems with it. Not sure how old their story is?

– Steve Sarumi (@draggingalake) September 18, 2022

I want to be clear that I don’t want to ignore anyone’s story and it is possible that everyone is telling the truth. We do not know when Kit & Krysta wanted to do the segment and therefore it is possible that the policy has changed. It is also possible that there was simply a communication error with someone. As many have pointed out, many streamers use a ROM hack to run a randomized Nuzlocke challenge, and it’s very likely that TPC has confused the randomized version with a perfectly legitimate set of self-imposed rules. Another possibility is that TPC was just trying to save face when he was talking to Merrick and Sarumi. Maybe TPC just didn’t want people to think they’ve officially approved Nuzlocke, which could lead to rumors, hopes and dreams that someday it would become an official game mode or something.

I think there is enough information missing from the puzzle that we can’t come to a conclusion. It makes more sense to me that TPC confused the legitimate version with ROM hacking, hence their harsh language. I could very well be wrong though. However, I think we all need to take a deep breath. If you like playing legitimate Nuzlockes, go for it. It’s not for everyone and you don’t need TPC’s blessing to play it. Maybe someday I’ll try it myself.