Can this generation of MLP last?

[HeroBrony 36]

with season 4 being a lot better than season 3 in my opinion, I believe the show still has a good 2 seasons left in it, we still have a lot of stuff we can go through as well (the box)... ( cutie mark crusaders cutie marks) (ect.) .  the show will be around for a while from now.... but I don't see it going 10 years, look what happened to my old fandom Pokemon. .

[Spagem 505]

with season 4 being a lot better than season 3 in my opinion, I believe the show still has a good 2 seasons left in it, we still have a lot of stuff we can go through as well (the box)... ( cutie mark crusaders cutie marks) (ect.) .  the show will be around for a while from now.... but I don't see it going 10 years, look what happened to my old fandom Pokemon. .

Yeah, I really hope MLP G4 doesn't become like Pokemon as in it goes on and on... Pokemon used to be so good, and now look at it. 

[Tigerpop198 696]

It depends on if the writers have any more ideas, I think they do.

[TrunksXV 33]

Yeah, I really hope MLP G4 doesn't become like Pokemon as in it goes on and on... Pokemon used to be so good, and now look at it. 

 

Good point. The thing is as long as Nintendo keeps making more Pokemon, Ash will NEVER become a Pokemon Master. He will always have more to catch. Hasbro isn't Nintendo. Take a look at Nintendo's business model for crying out loud, they have some really great games, but piss poor hardware and marketing strategies. The thing is Nintendo at this stage of the game should look to become a software developer much like Sega. Its never going to catch Sony or Microsoft as far as hardware specs are concerned, and they need to refocus their branding toward other platforms. The great thing is MLP has some pretty good writers for the most part, as long as the writing stays strong, the show will be around for a long time. If the writing starts to suck, than that's it. 

 

Pokemon has the problem of recycling the same formula over and over again.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pok%C3%A9mon_(anime)

 

As it stands now the Pokemon series spans 800 episodes over a period of about 18 years. DBZ had 291 Episodes. 

 

MLP is less than 100 episodes old at this point, but it does have the makings of a Pokemon like series, if only done with better writing. 

 

I say to all the fans, don't worry this franchise will have a long and healthy life, so please just sit back and enjoy the ride! 

[MLP Moth 224]

As long as it's a short and good journey for the show and us I'll be fine. I don't want MLP to go on forever, and ever, and, ever, and, ever, and ever

[TrunksXV 33]

Don't worry as long as the writing remains strong it will NOT turn into Baywatch which ran for 11 seasons on nothing but hooters as the shows star attractions as well as David Hasslehoff. 

[KarentheUnicorn 218]

My little pony is a brand that has lasted for over 30 years now. Going through 4 different toy changes, 5 if you consider the 3.5 as a separate thing.

 

Gen 1 lasted about 10 years in the USA.

 

Since I'm more a fan of the whole brand I really am not all that picky on how long g4 will last. More like I just hope it continues even into a g5.

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[Darker 1,351]

It has lasted 4 years. Maybe it will last 4 more, but who knows?

[Pastel 7,630]

The show will maybe end at its 8~9th season?

But I'm pretty sure there'll be a G5.

[Time Shield 402]

Maybe an Avatar-like approach, where the next series takes place in the same world but decades later, with new characters.  Otherwise, I agree that it shouldn't last forever, but should eventually give a strong ending (preferably before it drags itself too thin.)

[Overdrive 5,366]

It honestly depends on 2 things, the first being how far Hasbro can stretch the marketing for it. Once the sales of their products start to decline, either the series is going to be revamped, or they'll start from scratch.

 

The other thing would be how much they can squeeze out of the series. At some point, they will run out of ideas (I hate to say it), but I don't see that happening for a while. There's a lot more character development that can be incorporated, and for now, there are plenty of plot developments that can still be touched upon.

 

For now, I don't think it's going anywhere. I could be wrong, but it seems unlikely at the point the series is at right now.

[AlbaTross 1,586]

My knowledge of past gens is still limited at this point, but I think G4 has had more success than any other gen, largely thanks to FiM, meaning the data we could infer from G1-3 may not give us an accurate picture. On the show front, I think Hasbro has confirmed that the intention for seasons 6-9 is there. Whether or not we'll really have 9 seasons remains to be seen. The last thing I want is for this series to continue past its prime, as much as I want to see it keep going, but the question is whether I think this generation will last for a decade, not whether I think it should, and I think it just might. All it would require is one additional season after season 9. If the Big Bang Theory could continue on as long as it has, despite most people having moved on after the first few seasons, then FiM continuing on till season 10 is not too far fetched.

 

According to my research, a new gen doesn't necessarily mean a new series. Apparently Pony Tales is a second G1 series, and G2 doesn't have a series. I think the article I read said that a few G2 ponies made appearances in that series, but don't quote me on that. Still, it's possible we'll simply see more ponies added to FiM. If we do get a new series though, I'm sure Hasbro will be able to come up with something of equal quality, largely because they'll probably draw heavily on FiM for influence. If FiM was born from the ashes of previous gens, most of which weren't that well received, then it's not unreasonable to have high hopes for a G5 series.