Fans are agog today as reports have come out that Pokemon is coming to the new Nintendo Switch console.

It shouldn’t be surprising. I told you weeks ago that Nintendo should do this.

I said it in this space, three weeks ago:

Nintendo’s only remaining success, by historical standards, is the mobile console market. If they can merge mobile and home into one, then they can win at both ends at once. What this means is that they need to make one important decision in order to secure the Switch’s success.

Nintendo must release the next flagship Pokemon game on the Switch instead of the 3DS.

Now, the new reports don’t actually list the coming Pokemon Sun and Moon as exclusives to the Switch. That’s because the games are coming out before the Switch will come out. However according to rumors, the third part of the new Pokemon generation of games will be a Switch launch title, called Pokemon Stars.

Since the original games, Pokemon games have come out in threes. The game initially comes out as a matched pair (Red and Green, Silver and Gold, etc.), but then later a third game comes out months later as a hybrid of the previous (Yellow, Crystal, etc.). Placing the improved version of Sun and Moon on the Switch, ideally as a Switch exclusive, would fulfill my requirement.

If you have to buy a Switch to get the latest and greatest Pokemon, that sends a signal that the Switch’s portable mechanic is real, and not just a gimmick to be abandoned later.