When I was in grade school I was quite the Pokemon fan. Since then my interest has faded significantly, but the franchise is still apparently going strong. The sales have been so strong that Nintendo has once again returned to milk their moneymaking franchise bone dry.

1UP is reporting that less than a year after the most recent Pokemon game, there is another release in the works for 2009. Hit the jump for the full details.

If you've long wrung your hands in despair at the lack of your favorite Pokémon in 2008's Explorers of Darkness and Explorers of Time, prepare to squeal with innocent joy: There will be at least five new starters in Sky, including Riolu, Eevee, Phanpy, Vulpix, and the mercilessly cute Shinx. Other new features include a future storyline showcasing the mysterious and implausible return of Grovyle the Thief, as well as new guild-based episodes in which you'll be able to take control of Pokémon other than your own. Feeling the excitement yet?

Explorers of the Sky has been announced for a Spring release in Japan, and will likely arrive on American shores some time later in 2009. -- 1UP.com

I know that this really doesn't need to be said, but what is the deal with all of the crappy Pokemon one-off sequels? Is this really necessary and for that matter do they even sell? As a past fan, I just hope that they don't run the franchise into the ground.