#ThankYouGameFreak

About

#ThankYouGameFreak is a hashtag started by a Pokémon fan intended to celebrate and appreciate Pokémon developers Game Freak amid ongoing criticisms and controversy for the as-yet unreleased Pokémon Sword and Shield. Many fans used the hashtag as intended, while others used it more sarcastically to further criticize Game Freak. A rival hashtag, "#FuckYouGameFreak" was started alongside it to voice criticisms of the series.

Origin

On November 9th, 2019, Twitter user @MysticUmbreon94^[1] posted, "I wanted to see if I could start a #ThankYouGameFreak trend. #ThankYouGamefreak for creating the games that got me through all the tough times in my childhood. I know times are rough, but there are still fans that love what you do. Spread if you appreciate what Gamefreak does." The tweet gained over 3,200 retweets and 11,000 likes (shown below).

Spread

The hashtag inspired others to share their positive experiences with the Pokémon series. Twitter user @heyshanmurphy^[2] tweeted several pieces of fan art with the hashtag, gaining over 260 retweets and 1,400 likes (shown below, left). User @TamashiiHiroka^[3] tweeted, "#ThankYouGameFreak Your games helped me survive the hardest years of my life and taught me how to problem solve, strategize, explore, appreciate nature, and connected me to thousands of people when I felt the most alone. I wouldn't be who I am today without Pokemon for sure," gaining over 170 retweets and 1,500 likes (shown below, right). In response to the praise, Pokémon director Junichi Masuda tweeted, "Thank you, everyone!"^[4]

However, many Twitter users used the hashtag to lob further criticisms at Game Freak. User @fina_sergio tweeted criticism of the game's "generic backgrounds," echoing criticisms that the series' animation has not significantly improved (shown below, left). Additionally, angry fans started a counter-hashtag, "#FuckYouGameFreak"^[5] to voice further criticisms of the game's early footage and cut content. User @DudeMcShoot tweeted, "#FuckYouGameFreak your fanbase is full of spineless cowards who would rather lick your boot than have any form of self respect."

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References