Pokémon developer Game Freak registers trademark for a potential new Pocket Card Jockey game

Game Freak, the development studio best known for the Pokémon series, has registered a trademark that points toward a possible sequel or remaster of Pocket Card Jockey, a title originally released on the 3DS back in 2013 with a western release in 2016.

The details:

• Originally known as ‘Solitaire Horse’ in Japan, Pocket Card Jockey is a horse racing game where the player's performance in games of golf solitaire dictates the performance of their horse in a race. The concept was welcomed by many due to its relatively simply style and replay value.
• It was recently discovered through the Japanese @trademark_bot account on Twitter that Game Freak had filed a trademark for ‘ソリティ馬 Ride On!’, which translates to ‘Solitaire Horse: Ride On!’ Although the trademark could be for a planned sequel, a remaster is also a possibility — perhaps utilizing the Nintendo Switch’s touchscreen feature.
• Since Pocket Card Jockey’s western release in 2016, Game Freak has only developed two non-Pokémon titles: Giga Wrecker and Little Town Hero, both of which received mixed reviews.

What’s going on with Game Freak?

• Pokémon Legends: Arceus arrived at the beginning of 2022 to positive reviews, but ran into issues surrounding the visual quality and performance of the game, with frame drops, pop-in, and low resolutions being common complaints from players.
• Pokémon Scarlet and Violet followed in November 2022 to a mixed reception. While many fans enjoyed the classic feel of the gameplay, there was also backlash regarding the game’s performance — to the point where Nintendo apologized in the patch notes of its 1.1 update.
• If or when a new Pocket Card Jockey title is released following the trademark registration, we do hope that it doesn’t suffer from these types of performance issues.