Detective Pikachu Returns Players Discover Multiple Movie References

Last week, Detective Pikachu Returns released on Nintendo Switch, offering a continuation of the story from the 3DS original. While the game takes place in a completely different world from the live-action movie, that didn't stop the developers from making a few fun references to the film. Players have already discovered a few fun callbacks, including one that happens early into the game. In Detective Pikachu Returns, it's revealed that a movie based on Tim and Pikachu's previous adventures was made. Tim's mother and sister both share disappointment that they didn't make it into the film, though Tim notes "movies usually do their own thing."

In the movie Pokemon: Detective Pikachu, we never hear about Tim having any siblings. Meanwhile his mother's death is the event that causes an initial rift between Tim and his father, Harry. Those two characters are missing from the movie, but Detective Pikachu Returns does sneak in a reference to one movie-exclusive character. The news network GNN plays a huge role in the movie, most notably reporter Lucy Stevens and her partner, Psyduck. In Detective Pikachu Returns, the game's titular detective and Tim both meet a Psyduck that happens to be partnered with a GNN reporter! The reference is subtler than the one that starts the game, but the intent is clear. 

Serebii.net owner Joe Merrick shared an image of the movie reference, which can be found in the Tweet embedded below. 

Subtle. Very subtle. pic.twitter.com/IpCe0gxUDo

— Joe Merrick (@JoeMerrick) October 9, 2023

Detective Pikachu Returns Sales

Detective Pikachu Returns released just last week, but early sales numbers for the game have already been released in Japan. According to Famitsu (via Nintendo Life), the Nintendo Switch title was the top-selling game of the week, moving 85,639 copies. That's a pretty strong start for the title, and it could bode well for a third game in the series. Last month, Detective Pikachu Returns director Yasunori Yanagisawa told ComicBook.com that "there is a desire to grow Detective Pikachu's story. We're hoping that there's some continuation." 

Another Detective Pikachu Film

Fans of the original Detective Pikachu game finally got a chance to experience a sequel, and it seems that fans of the movie could get that chance, as well. Earlier this year, Legendary Entertainment revealed that a sequel to Pokemon: Detective Pikachu is still "in active development," though no additional details have been revealed. The movie had a fairly definitive ending, which leaves a lot of questions about what kind of story could be told. It's possible the sequel could tell an entirely new story in the Pokemon world, without picking back up on Tim and Pikachu's exploits. However, there's simply no way of knowing for sure, so fans will just have to wait and see how things play out. 

Have you checked out Detective Pikachu Returns yet? What do you think of these references to the film? Share your thoughts with me directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!