Pixelmon, the Pokemon mod for Minecraft, has been shut down

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The Pokemon Company finally dropped the hammer.

Back in 2013, we listed the Pixelmon mod for Minecraft as one of the best "Pokemon X/Y alternatives" available on the PC. It featured 180 Pokemon at the time and now boasts 523, according to the Wiki, reflecting "the team's commitment to updates" that we said put it ahead of other, similar mods. As sometimes happens with fan-made stuff, it remained in beta for an extended period of time, and in fact only went into full release earlier this month. Coincidentally or not, that's when the trouble began. 

"With much sadness, but keeping all our fond memories, we must announce that Pixelmon is ending its development. We have had a great time making this mod and creating such a wonderful community but after a request from The Pokemon Company we will be shutting our doors," the team announced yesterday. "I'm sorry for the disappointment this will cause but let's remember all the great times we had playing Pixelmon, discussing Pokémon, making awesome things inside this mod and everything else that we've done."

"All good things come to an end eventually and now is our time. However there are always more things to do, to be a part of and to enjoy. Keep going out there to find fun projects to be a part of and other great things to invest your time and enthusiasm into." 

Isi, one of the Pixelmon admins, told Kotaku that the team "always expected something [like this] to happen eventually," especially since the announcement of an official Pokemon game for the Nintendo Switch. Even so, "It’s a shame that it’s come to an end, especially with the amazing community of players, users running servers, Youtubers, streamers, and of course our own creation team.”

Sadly for players and those who'd like to give it a try, it doesn't sound as though Pixelmon will undergo a Galaxy in Turmoil-style reworking to appease the Pokelawyers: Isi said that as a result of the shutdown, most of the team will be "bowing out" of the Minecraft scene completely. 

Andy Chalk
Andy Chalk
US News Lead

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.