Way to doubt your own franchise! President of the Pokemon Company, Tsunekazu Ishihara, let us in on a little secret during a recent “Iwata Asks” segment. Apparently, after the release of Pokemon Red and Green, Ishihara wanted to create Gold and Silver with the intention of them serving as the end of the series.

Ishihara: That’s right. After we released Red and Green, we began working on these titles, thinking that the ultimate in Pokémon games could only ever be Gold and Silver. Iwata: Not in your wildest dreams did you think that you’d be making more and more games after Gold and Silver. Ishihara: The reason that I licensed so many products and developed things like the trading cards was basically to ensure that Gold and Silver were successful. I felt that this was my primary role. So at that time, I worked with the assumption that after we put out Gold and Silver, my work as far as Pokémon was concerned would be done. Ishihara: So for me, Gold and Silver represented the finish line.

Can you imagine letting the franchise of adorable pocket monsters end? Doesn’t Ishihara know that you don’t abandon a franchise until you destroy the characters likability by putting them in bizarre circumstances, like a golf game, or a Medieval adventure. Pokemon Meets King Arthur. Something like that.

I’m just glad they decided to continue on. I guess even the President of the Pokemon Company could have never predicted the continued success of Pokemon.