Current Events > GameFreak will be prioritizing original game projects more so than Pokemon

(+) Yeah! (+)

Thats according to programmer and director Masayuki Onoue, who told VGC that by taking breaks from its flagship Pokmon series, Game Freaks creators can return to the franchise refreshed and improve the series with experience gained.Onoue has worked as a programmer on mainline Pokmon games since Black and White, but recently directed his first game, Giga Wrecker for PC.Giga Wrecker is a result of Game Freaks Gear Project initiative, which encourages creators to pitch original game ideas during quiet periods.So far Gear Project has resulted in HarmoKnight, Pocket Card Jockey, Tembo the Badass Elephant and Giga Wrecker, all of which released after 2012. The developer is also working on Town, a Nintendo Switch RPG due out in 2019.

There are two different production teams here, simply named Production Team 1 and Production Team 2, Onoue explained. Team 1 is fully dedicated to Gear Project, while Team 2 is for the Pokmon operation.

What that means is that Game Freak as a company is prioritising Gear Project, which is production team number one, more than Pokmon in general. We are always trying to create something that is equally exciting, or more exciting than Pokmon."

There is a lot of back-and-forth between Team 1 and Team 2, he added. One of the interesting things is that Team 2, which is dedicated to Pokmon, only knows about specific platforms. So with Team 2, engineers can learn about other platforms that they might not have touched before. By mixing up the teams we are able to create this interesting synergy.

So far Gear Project has allowed Game Freak to gain experience working on Xbox, PlayStation and PC platforms. But for Onoue, it was the opportunity to work on a game as director that he appreciated most.

Yes, it was a totally refreshing experience when I moved from Pokmon to Giga Wrecker. Its like a paradigm shift, he said.

When youre a programmer working on Pokmon, youre one of many programmers. However, as a director on Giga Wrecker the experience opened my eyes to the other aspects of game creation, all the way up to users playing the game, Onoue added.

Its really difficult to expect a programmer to have that kind of perspective, but as director I learned how to make a game more appealing and accessible to players, plus aspects of marketing as well.

Gear Project has helped me become more creative. Ive now seen the whole process of creation all the way to marketing and selling the game to players.

I can now bring that knowhow back to the Pokmon team and try to create something different for Pokmon. Its a good synergy between Gear Project and Pokmon creation.
On the surface, 2019 looks set to be one of the most significant years in Game Freaks history.

Following up 2018s Pokmon Lets Go, Pikachu and Eevee its first Nintendo home console release in more than two decades the developer brought Giga Wrecker to consoles in May. Later this year it will release Nintendo Switch RPG Town as well as Pokmon Sword and Shield the first mainline Pokmon games for a home console.Programmer Onoue wouldnt reveal which of these titles hes working on, but confirmed hes currently taking care of multiple projects. Its stimulating, yet challenging as well, he said.2019 will be very exciting, especially following the Pikachu Lets Go titles which allowed us to start looking seriously at Nintendo Switch as a platform. That was a very important milestone for us before moving on to the next step.

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He added: In terms of the number of titles we are releasing this year, its happened coincidentally. Its not like were trying to put everything together in 2019 it just happened.One reason the previously handheld-only developer is suddenly able to output three console-quality releases in a year is down to its newly formed R&D division, Onoue explained.R&D is a newly founded division which is creating the basic library, which used to be created every single time we made a project. That helps the efficiency of our production for sure.Also, we are looking at whats going on in the future, from a technical perspective, and thats something else that weve never had before. I think that R&D division will certainly contribute to the future of Game Freak.

https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/game-freak-prioritising-original-game-projects/

They should add in hard mode for Pokemon games. That's a start.
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The_Scarecrow posted...

They should add in hard mode for Pokemon games. That's a start.

They even had in in Black 2 and White 2. Why they took the option away and didn't make it easier to access is beyond me.
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That's good, their rhythm runner game was pretty good. Better to make new games instead of being stuck in the rut of the "Pokemon guys." Especially when they're getting complaints they don't evolve the series more.
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If it helps them being new experiences and perspectives to the Pokemon games while also expanding their wings, so to speak, then this is great. Still a bit surprising that their Gear Project is the priority over their huge moneymaker Pokemon (you'd think The Pokemon Company would have something to say about that).
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GameFreak's Town game may be worth checking out once we see more of it.
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Does Gamefreak even have a meaningful stake in Pokemon anymore?