Welcome to One More Catch, an independent publication covering Pokémon Go and the next generation of Pokémon games arriving later this year.
I'm Matthew Reynolds, an award-winning games journalist based in the UK who's covered Pokémon Go since it launched back in the summer of 2016. For close to a decade, I've written about practically every facet of the game for sites like Eurogamer and Polygon as a senior editor, whether it’s through guides, news, or reporting from events such as the first Go Fest back in 2017. It’s very likely that, if you’ve ever searched for help in Pokémon Go over the years, you’ve already encountered my work.
Pokémon Go is a game I love writing about, but my work has been on pause since leaving Polygon following the site's acquisition last May. Since then, I've been figuring out how to continue covering the game under my own banner, similar to my former colleagues who have recently established their own outlets. (They include gaming deep dives via oral histories and an NPR-style podcast, curating new games and entertainment for readers, and a site that covers games through a gender and identity lens.)
I also want to do so in a way that reflects the changing nature of both Pokémon Go and the modern internet in recent years. Today, there’s often an overwhelming number of events and tickets at any given time in Pokémon Go, something that will likely ramp up between this year’s 10th anniversary and Pokémon’s own year-long 30th anniversary celebrations. I want a publication that cuts through Pokémon Go's increasingly busy schedule, and while I plan to continue producing expertly written standalone guides through this site — which you can bookmark or find through the likes of Google — it’s also a good opportunity to sidestep unpredictable search algorithms which have made the internet an increasingly frustrating place to be.
So as well as a website, One More Catch is publishing through good old reliable email. Every Monday, I’ll send a newsletter to guide you through the week ahead in Pokémon Go — day-by-day, event-by-event — with recommendations of what you should pay attention to. But that’s not at all: you’ll also receive extra mail outs with original features, reporting, and blogs that explore the world of Pokémon and Pokémon Go, from its thriving community to deep dives into how the games work, straight to your inbox.
These are all things I’ve wanted to pursue for years, but never could quite find the time while working for large sites with wider remits. You can see a taste of this on the home page right now — from an account of my trip to the recent Pokémon Championships event in London, to asking the biggest Pokémon fans I know what they want from the next mainline games — with more to come in the weeks and months ahead. (And for those who’d rather read on the web, everything in the newsletter will also be published to this site, too.)
One More Catch will also cover the next generation of Pokémon games. How will competitive play change with the launch of Pokémon Champions? In what ways will the new mainline games — tipped to be announced on Pokémon Day — change the franchise? And what actually is Pokémon Pokopia? I’d also like to look at the wider world of creature collecting games and AR releases that regularly surround Pokémon's orbit when I can find the time, including writing about my beloved Monster Hunter Now.
If you like the sound of any of this, then I'd love your support. One More Catch is run by just a single person (hello!) with no investors, publisher backing, or use of AI. While most output will be free — including core guides, the weekly Pokémon Go schedule newsletter, and some reporting — paying subscribers unlock access to (almost) all paid articles and commenting privileges, as well as the satisfaction of helping keep the lights on, for as little as £1 a week (or less with a 10% off launch promotion across all tiers running until 9th March). Higher paid tiers include ad-free browsing, bonus quarterly newsletter Behind the Catch — a behind-the-scenes look at what it's like running a small, independent publication, the first instalment of which you can read now — and at the highest tier, a shout out in the Special Thanks area of the site.
Whether it's signing up to the newsletter, sharing articles with friends, or contributing a few pounds or dollars a month, I want to thank you for supporting One More Catch from the outset. With enough backing from readers, I can produce more articles, cover travel to events, pay freelance writers for more voices on the site, and expand site features and functionality. There's plenty I'd like to do, and I'm so excited to get going.
If you have questions or queries, this dedicated FAQ can hopefully address them, otherwise I'd love to hear from you at contact@onemorecatch.site, or on social media at Bluesky.
Before I go, I want to share some thanks up front to those who helped me get to launch. It turns out starting a publication is a remarkable amount of work, and though it's a solo endeavour, I didn’t do it entirely alone. A huge thank you to:
- Tom Collins who created the branding and web design for One More Catch, and for patiently putting up with my many tweaks, suggestions, and pointing out bugs to fix up until the 11th hour
- Chelsea Stark for copy edits and various sense checks in the lead up to launch (it’s been great getting the band back together!)
- Bright Themes and Outpost for their help in using Ghost (where One More Catch is hosted) and their respective services
- Business Wales for assistance navigating the daunting world of (Sam Eagle voice) business
- Laura H, Rob L, and Phil L for being One More Catch’s earliest supporters and readers. You're the best!
As well as the above, a shout out to the owners of these independent publications, who generously took the time to talk about my plans in their earliest stages, offer invaluable advice and support, and have otherwise paved the way so a site like this could be viable:
- Andy Robinson (VGC)
- Alex Donaldson (RPG Site)
- Chase Taylor-Carter (Rascal News)
- Chris Bratt (People Make Games)
- Darryl (Final Fantasy Union)
- Jon Hicks (Jank)
- Neil Long (MobileGamer.biz)
- Ryan Gilliam (Rogue)
Right, that's me done. Thanks for reading — looking forward to catching you out there!
