One of the most popular Pokemon romhacks you can play right now combines the creature catcher with the roguelite genre. Although PokeRogue recently reached a significant milestone with the release of the game’s ending sequence for fans, the project’s creator stepped back to refocus on faith, family and his work.
PokeRogue is Pokemon as you know it, but with procedurally generated worlds, so the map and encounters change with each playthrough. You won’t find the kind of eternal death popularized in roguelikes or Nuzlockes, but you’ll need to keep up with things like resource management because who knows how things will turn out. It’s gained serious popularity, especially among the Pokemon streaming community, but that’s not stopping its creator from stepping away from the project.
“I understand that the growth of this project continues to accelerate and that there is still so much potential within it that has yet to be reached,” explained PokeRogue creator Flashfyre on Twitter.
“To many, this would seem like the worst possible time to leave. I had so many ideas that I know people would love and that would make the experience even better. However, after much consideration and consultation with family and close friends, I believe that it will be better for me and for the continued growth of the project to leave in a good way.”
Flashfyre goes on to say that they’ve always wanted to work on a project like PokeRogue, though I guess they never would have predicted how big it would become. They share that the project started by taking a 10 year old project and combining it with roguelite influences until it started to look like what you see today.
They worked on the game independently for nine months, but eventually PokeRogue became a community project, as its popularity attracted many people who were just happy to contribute.
“It truly blew away my wildest expectations and I thank you all for being a part of it,” they say.
Despite the good times, the Pokemon fan is moving on “because this kind of project is not compatible with my planned life path.” Flashfyre explains that they found it “impossible” to moderate the time they spend on PokeRogue, and other things in life take a hit.
“As a hobby, it became too important and exhausting for me, and it put the brakes on the things I value most, including my faith, my family and my work,” they say. “I am above all a man who strives to follow God’s way for himself in life, and my short time of life in this world should be spent serving Jesus Christ, not feeding my own ambitions.”
“I guess by resigning I’m giving back to the world what was rightfully theirs in the first place, so I’m not responsible if it changes in any way that doesn’t align with my personal values, rather than choosing to hold what is now a community project to my personal standards in an effort to preserve a clear conscience.”
Remember, Flashfyre is keen to express their affection for the project, saying that it “really hurts” to leave it behind given how much time they put into it. But if you’re worried about the future of PokeRogue, don’t worry. Although it started as a passion project of an independent developer, it has become a community collaboration. Several other fans who have invested a lot of time in the project are now running the Discord and making the big decisions. Even though it’s the future without Flashfyre, it’s still the future, not the end.
5 years after failing at its own game, the worst legendary Pokemon Sword and Shield is back from the dead and raging on the competitive scene.