Since 2014, one man specifically — Shigeru Ohmori — has overseen the vast majority of Pokémon video games launched by Recreation Freak. From Pokémon Omega Ruby and Sapphire all the best way to Pokémon Pokopia, Ohmori has had a significant affect on fashionable Pokémon as we all know it. In line with leaks, that multi-generational pocket monster run could lastly be coming to an finish.
In line with Pokémon Winds and Waves leaker BallGuy, the tenth technology of video games might be directed by Recreation Freak veterans Hiroyuki Tani and Katsuhiko Ichiraku. Each males have been part of main Pokémon video games in some capability, however this is able to be their first time main a base recreation. The 2 are in any other case greatest recognized for his or her work on the DLCs for Pokémon Sword and Defend and Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. Each content material additions have been properly obtained by the general public, and a few even thought of them superior variations of their respective video games.
For some, that is cause sufficient to get excited. The Crown Tundra DLC for Pokémon Sword and Defend was recognized for its wider scope and concentrate on exploration, which might be essential in a recreation that emphasizes adventures within the wild. Pokémon Scarlet and Violet’s Teal Masks DLC was praised in 2023 for its slice-of-life storytelling, which helped floor the grand scope of what are technically the primary open-world Pokémon video games. It is a distinction if solely as a result of Scarlet and Violet have been notoriously buggy at launch. The general public wasn’t in a position to expertise these video games of their meant kind till 2025, when the Swap 2 obtained some free efficiency upgrades for the video games.
Leaked info that reveals who is definitely creating the following Pokémon recreation could sound foolish, however Recreation Freak hasn’t formally introduced any administrators for the initiatives but. It is also attainable that Ohmori will nonetheless be concerned in Winds and Waves in some capability. If inside paperwork leaked in 2025 are to be believed, then Ohmori labored on the proposal for the sport.
The presentation cited influences akin to No Man’s Sky and Spore. The deck factors towards Spore‘s dynamic evolution system, which can kind the idea of Winds and Waves’ rumored “Seed” Pokémon. Seed Pokémon are anticipated to introduce a sort of monster that doesn’t have a set evolutionary tree. As a substitute, elements just like the atmosphere, climate, and the coach’s nurturing dictate how Seed Pokémon could develop. Seed Pokémon may additionally clarify why Winds and Waves are rumored to introduce 300 new monsters, probably the most within the sequence’ 30-year historical past.
Since recreation growth is a course of, we do not but know which of Ohmori’s concepts will make it into the ultimate lower. The identical doc leaks declare that Ohmori was not a director on the following Pokémon video games as of 2024.
One of many potential advantages of an inside shake-up is seeing youthful builders push the sequence in new instructions. Mainline Pokémon video games are sometimes criticized by followers and haters alike for his or her aversion to dangers. On the identical time, Recreation Freak appears interested by exploring what else the sequence can do. Video games like Pokémon Legends: Z-A and their action-oriented gameplay are an enormous departure from the mainline video games within the sequence.
If the newest leaks are true, then we might even see a continuation of that boundary-pushing spirit in Pokémon Winds and Waves. Already, there are whispers of a brand new battle system which will shake issues up. Hopefully, that is considered one of many modifications — the sequence desperately wants some new concepts.