Tag: Game Freak
News The Pokémon Franchise Has Now Shipped Over 480 Million Software Units
TPC updates its figures
The Pokémon Company has updated its website with some fresh figures relating to its behemoth franchise. Chiefly, software shipments for Pokémon have now reached over 480 million units as of the end of March 2023. This is a remarkable increase of 40 million over the previous year. The majority of this will have come from...
Random Russia's Unofficial Pokédex Presents A Hilarious, Alternate Take On Pokémon
Seel have velvety voices, apparently
If you're like us, then you'll no doubt be reasonably familiar with the original 151 Pokémon. Over the years, official resources have been abundant, so knowing the strengths, weaknesses, and overall behavior of the Pokémon from Red and Blue is pretty easy for most fans. Yet for those in Russia, an official...
News Pokémon Studio Game Freak Is Partnering With Private Division On 'Project Bloom'
"We can't reveal too much yet"
The Outer Worlds, Kerbal Space Program, and OlliOlli World publisher Private Division has announced it is partnering with Game Freak on a new game. Described as an action-adventure, it doesn't have a final name yet but is being referred to as Project Bloom. Outside of that, we have a single piece of concept artwork:...
Countdown 3DS eShop Spotlight - Pocket Card Jockey
#17 - Fine equine
For the month before the 3DS and Wii U eShops close for new purchases on 27th March, each day we're going to highlight a specific eShop game for one of those consoles and give a short pitch as to why we think it deserves your love and attention — before it's too late. The chance to add these to your library will be gone for good...
Random Pocket Card Jockey Director Is 'Sad' About The 3DS eShop Closure
Aren't we all..?
As we all know by now (we hope), the 3DS and Wii U eShops will unfortunately be shutting down on March 27th, 2023. This of course means that in just a couple of months time, you'll no longer be able to purchase or download new games onto your 3DS or Wii U. Until that time, if your Nintendo Account is shared across your Switch, 3DS,...
News Game Freak's Secret Best Game Is No Longer 3DS Exclusive
Don't get your hopes up, though
At the start of December 2022, we reported that a trademark for 'Pocket Card Jockey: Ride On!' had been filed by Game Freak. At the time, we weren't quite sure what this would be in reference to, but now we have our answer (thanks, VGC). We've got good news and bad news, folks. The good news is that the cult classic...
News Game Freak Registers Trademark For Potential 'Pocket Card Jockey' Sequel
Or could it be a remake..?
Game Freak, the core developer behind the Pokémon franchise, released a much loved 3DS title back in 2013 called Pocket Card Jockey. Exclusive to Japan for three years, it eventually made its way to other regions in 2016 to positive reception. Now, it appears there may be a new game on the horizon, as a trademark for...
News Frustrated Pokémon Scarlet & Violet Players Are Reportedly Getting Refunds
Some trainers are fed up with performance issues
The ninth-generation games Pokémon Scarlet and Violet have been out for a week now. They take the series in a bold new direction with open-world design but also suffer from serious performance issues and glitches. It seems for some trainers, all of this (including Game Freak's silence) has become...
News Pokémon Fans Vent Frustrations Online About Scarlet & Violet's Technical Issues
"TPCi is NOT giving Game Freak the necessary support"
The new Pokémon Scarlet and Violet games are perhaps the most ambitious entries in the long-running series ever, but unfortunately, it seems the game's performance and technical issues are dragging down the overall experience for many trainers around the world. As a result, the user score on...
Random A 1985 Guide By Pokémon Dev Game Freak Is Now Viewable Online
No Pokémanz in sight
It's pretty widely known at this point that Game Freak, the developer behind the Pokémon franchise, used to work on print magazines before it started on video game development. What's not quite so well known is exactly what these magazines consist of. Well, we now have a bit of a stronger idea thanks to Twitter user Picto who...
News Multiplayer Battles Were Included Pokémon Red & Blue At The Last Minute
And because Nintendo wanted them
We can't really think of Pokémon without thinking about playing with our friends. Whether it's battling, trading, or exploring secret bases, playing and sharing experiences with others feels like a vital aspect of the series. Yet one of these features was almost not included in the original Pokémon Red & Blue...
News Game Freak Had Plans For 65,535 Versions Of The Original Pokémon Game
But Shigeru Miyamoto didn't think it was the best idea
Pokémon has always had two different versions, but before the original games were released on Game Boy in 1996, Game Freak had plans for something else. In new translations of old Japanese interviews (via the YouTube channel Did You Know Gaming), it's revealed how Game Freak wanted 65,535...
News Pokémon Developer Game Freak Introduces Optional Four Day Working Week
Primarily catered to those dealing with childcare / nursing care
Game Freak is a development studio extremely well known to Nintendo fans, with Pocket Card Jockey on 3DS being a particular standout. Yes, ok, there's also all of those hugely successful Pokémon games, too. It's a company with an important place in the industry, then, and it's also...
News Pokémon Studio Staff "Experience Failure And Success" To Make Games That Players "Desire"
"The lack of knowledge and experience sometimes showed through"
Shigeru Omori (left) and Kazumasa Iwao (right) Pokémon studio Game Freak has posted an article on its recruitment website which goes into detail on the creation of Pokémon Sword & Shield, with director Shigeru Omori and planning director Kazumasa Iwao going into detail on how the...
News Pokémon Designer James Turner Celebrates HarmoKnight's Anniversary With A Cute Drawing
"It’s been years"
It's been a big week for the 3DS, with the device celebrating its tenth anniversary. Yep, it's now an entire decade old. Of course, there were a number of amazing games released for it over the years and one of them happens to be HarmoKnight. The Pokémon developer Game Freak originally released this game locally back in 2013,...
News Nintendo, Creatures And Game Freak Register Trademarks For "Pokémon Wonder" and "Fusion Arts"
Don't get too excited
On 27th February, Pokémon will celebrate 25 years since the release of the original Game Boy titles in Japan. In the lead up to this big event, Nintendo, Creatures Inc., and Game Freak have registered new trademarks for "Pokémon Wonder" and "Fusion Arts" in Japan. Before you start speculating, Pokémon Wonder covers "Food,...
Gallery Game Freak Has Moved In With Nintendo, And The New Offices Look Sublime
Rooms are based on Kanto locations
Here's an office space inspired by Pokémon Red and Blue's Lavender Town Earlier this year, it was reported that Pokémon developer Game Freak would soon be moving its headquarters to Kanda-Nishikicho in Tokyo. That move now appears to be complete, with the ever-growing company joining Nintendo – which has also...
News Game Freak's Little Town Hero Big Idea Edition Launches Today
Or later this week in Europe
Following its initial delay, the Little Town Hero Big Idea Edition has today launched for Nintendo Switch in North America. Those in Europe will have to wait just a little longer until 26th June. The Big Idea Edition is a physical version of Pokémon developer Game Freak's small-scale RPG, coming with an artbook,...
News Game Freak Advertises 23 Job Roles For New Pokémon Games
Artists, programmers and more
Developer Game Freak is currently hiring for new staff who will work on future Pokémon projects, with a whopping 23 job positions being advertised online. The company is hoping to recruit new graphic designers, planners, technical artists, programmers and more as it looks to strengthen its core team. On social media...
News Employee At Pokémon Dev Game Freak Tests Positive For Coronavirus
A statement has been issued
Pokémon developer Game Freak has announced that an employee working in its Setagaya, Tokyo office has tested positive for coronavirus (COVID-19). The studio has issued a statement on the matter on its official website, noting that thanks to social distancing measures and as a result of staff working from home for the...
News Pokémon Staff Will 'Stay Connected' During Tokyo's Emergency Lockdown, Says Masuda
Encourages fans to stay home
Today, the Japanese government issued a state of emergency across its Tokyo, Kanagawa, Chiba, Saitama, Osaka, Hyogo and Fukuoka prefectures, urging people to practice social distancing to fight the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Junichi Masuda, director of Pokémon developer Game Freak, has now commented on the situation...
News Nintendo, Creatures And Game Freak Apply For Two New Trademarks In Japan
New Pokémon stuff on the way?
Nintendo Co., Ltd., Creatures Inc., and Game Freak Inc. have applied for two brand new trademarks in Japan, according to Japanese Nintendo. The trademarks are for 伝説の鼓動 (Densetsu no Kodou), which literally translates to 'The Legendary Heartbeat', and アメイジングレア, which translates to 'Amazing...
News NIS America Is Running A Reverse Cover Contest For Little Town Hero, Voting Now Open
The 'Big Idea Edition' arrives this June
In January, we found out Game Freak's Little Town Hero would be receiving a physical release on the Nintendo Switch this spring. Now, it's been confirmed the 'Big Idea Edition' will launch on 2nd June in North America, on 5th June in Europe, and on 12th June in Oceania. That's not all, though. As part of...
News Pokémon Developer Game Freak To Relocate To Same Area As Nintendo's New Tokyo Offices
Both will move to Kanda-Nishikicho
According to a new report, Pokémon developer Game Freak will join Nintendo in relocating to Kanda-Nishikicho, Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo. Just last week, Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa revealed that the company is currently planning to consolidate its four offices in Tokyo into one, presumably much larger office...
Random Why Pikachu Is No Longer As Chubby As It Once Was
The design was influenced by the anime, of course
When Pokémon first arrived on the Game Boy in 1996, Pikachu was illustrated as a plump electric rodent that looked far from agile. It wasn't until later on in the series, the face of the pocket monster franchise got an artistic makeover, making him slightly less chubby. What was the reason behind...
News The Pokémon Company Is Taking Legal Action Against Sword And Shield Leakers
It just needs to name them first
Update - Sat 14th Dec, 2019 03:30 GMT: The Pokémon Company has been given the green light to take further action against the leakers. The following update is via the PokéJungle Twitter account: The @Pokemon Company has been granted the ability to subpoena Discord and 4chan to unmask the identities of the leakers...
News Pokémon Sword And Shield's Online Features Will Be Down For Maintenance This Week
3 hours of behind-the-scenes tweaking on Wednesday or Thursday
The online part of Pokémon Sword and Shield will be temporarily interrupted this week on Wednesday or Thursday depending on your location, with planned maintenance and tweaking taking place. As spotted by Serebii.net, online features for the latest entry in the Pokémon series will be...
News Former Game Freak Illustrator Reveals He Designed The Legendary Pokémon In Sword And Shield
He also helped out with Marnie's look
Yusuke Ohmura might not necessarily be a household name like Shigeru Miyamoto or Junichi Masuda, but he's definitely made some significant contributions to the Pokémon video game series over the years. This former Game Freak illustrator started out on Pokémon Diamond & Pearl and contributed to various...
News Pokémon Designer Shares Special Artwork To Celebrate The Release Of Sword And Shield
"may your journey to Galar be a great one"
Pokémon designer and Sword and Shield art director James Turner – who recently came under fire for 'liking' a tweet that attacked disappointed Pokémon fans – has been sharing custom artwork leading up to the big release. Now that the new generation has launched on Switch (at least in most parts of...
And will base future decisions on those reactions
One exciting new aspect of the upcoming Switch releases Pokémon Sword and Shield is the 'Wild Area' – a vast and open bit of land connecting towns and containing many different Pokémon in their natural habitats. This same area also happens to make use of a free-moving camera, which is a first for...
News Social Media Bands Together To Show Pokémon Studio Game Freak Some Love
#ThankYouGameFreak
It's been a difficult period for Japanese developer Game Freak since the producer Junichi Masuda revealed the upcoming titles Pokémon Sword and Shield for Switch would feature a limited Pokédex. There's been backlash from fans, online leaks and a launch event in Japan was even recently cancelled due to operational reasons...
Feature Little Town Hero Director On Stepping Out Of Pokémon's Shadow
"RPGs are really time-consuming"
You could say that developer Game Freak has form when it comes to turn-based battlers - the makers of the Pokémon games have stewarded the largest RPG franchise on the planet for over two decades. Nice work if you can get it, although a never-ending cycle of Pocket Monster development can take its toll on a team...
News Game Freak Considered "Changing Up" The Battle System In Pokémon Sword And Shield
But wanted to express turn-based battles in the ultimate form
One staple of Pokémon is the turn-based battle gameplay. Without it, the series probably wouldn't have been as successful as it is today. While the upcoming releases Sword and Shield for the Nintendo Switch have incorporated a lot of new ideas, there were a few of them that didn't make...
Random Game Freak Had Plans For A Virtual Boy Title But Never Got Around To Making It
Pokémon Red?
Whenever the developer Game Freak is mentioned, you probably think about the mainline Pokémon video game series. That's not the only series it has worked on over the years, though. Little Town Hero is coming to the Switch later this month and there was a point in the Japanese company's history when it had an idea for a Virtual Boy...
News Junichi Masuda Says Cut Pokémon Will "Definitely" Return In Future Games
Gone but not forgotten
Earlier this year, Sword and Shield producer Junichi Masuda shocked the Pokémon community when he revealed some creatures would be left behind. After much backlash from fans, it resulted in him releasing an official statement, saying how it was a "very difficult decision" to make. He also explained at the time that if a...
News HMs Won't Be Returning In Pokémon Sword And Shield
"we didn’t feel it really matched the game"
Hidden Machines (HMs) used to be a major aspect of the Pokémon video game series, but it seems like Game Freak is doing away with this concept once and for all. After being replaced with summonable rides in the Sun and Moon series on 3DS, this time around – in Sword and Shield – "HM-based elements"...
Video Game Freak Introduces The Characters Of Little Town Hero
Not long to go now
Game Freak might be best known for the mainline Pokémon series, but it also likes to make other games. The next one on the way is the RPG Little Town Hero, previously known as 'Town'. With this digital-only release just around the corner, Game Freak has decided to upload a new clip, featuring all of the "attractive" characters...
News Game Freak To Host 30th Anniversary Celebration Stream Next Month
Hosted by Junichi Masuda
Pokémon developer Game Freak has revealed that it will be hosting a video stream to celebrate its 30th anniversary next month. The stream will be taking place on 16th October and will be aired on both Twitter and YouTube. Game Freak's very own Junichi Masuda will be present to take fans on a journey through the history of...
News Game Freak Trademark Hints At New Name For Switch RPG, Town
Working title no more?
Japanese game developer Game Freak, known as the primary developer of the Pokémon series, has applied for a new trademark in its home region. The trademark is for 'Little Town Hero', and covers both the English and Japanese (リトルタウンヒーロ) versions of that phrase. You can see the trademark for yourself below...
News Upcoming Patch For Pokémon: Let's Go Fixes Some Weird Bugs
Gotta patch it all
Update: The patch is now live. Although Game Freak is focused on its upcoming Switch release Pokémon Sword and Shield, it's still working on some minor fixes for last year's title, Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee! According to Serebii.net, an upcoming patch for the game will bring the title up to Version...
News Game Freak Prefers To "Implement New Things Fairly Gradually" In Pokémon
And it will "continue to do new things gradually"
Pokémon fans around the world have been dreaming about a vast open-world 3D entry in the series for far too long now. Just imagine an adventure in the style of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild or even similar to the Level-5 title, Yo-Kai Watch 4. Returning to reality, Game Freak doesn't...
News A Sequel To Pokémon Snap Won't Happen Unless There's A "Very Unique Twist"
It's not going to happen in a snap
One of the most requested Pokémon games of all-time is a sequel to the 1999 Nintendo 64 title, Pokémon Snap. Will it ever happen, though? While fans have been hoping for a follow-up for two decades, according to Game Freak's Junichi Masuda, it's going to need a very unique twist. During an interview with Metro's...
News Junichi Masuda Releases Official Statement About Limiting Sword And Shield's Pokédex
"This was a very difficult decision"
During a Nintendo Treehouse Live segment at this year's E3, Game Freak producer Junichi Masuda shocked fans when he revealed Pokémon Sword and Shield would not include every pocket monster. Before this, long-time players were expecting to be able to catch 'em and even transfer 'em all. In an interview with US...
News Nintendo, Creatures And Game Freak Apply For 'Dynamax Band' Trademark In Japan
Increase the size of your Pokémon
One of the new features in Pokémon Sword and Shield is the "dynamax" ability – allowing trainers to transform their pocket monsters into giants on the battlefield for a short period of time. There are also raids in the game where you can fight alongside other players to defeat these overly large Pokémon. With...
News Nintendo, Creatures Inc And Game Freak Apply For 'Pokegenic' Trademark In Japan
Gotta trademark 'em all
Update: Serebii.net webmaster Joe Merrick has explained what exactly the 'Pokegenic' trademark is linked to over on Twitter. It's being used to highlight the photo spots at this year's Pikachu festival in Yokohama. Earlier this week, The Pokémon Company made four major announcements during its 2019 press conference. If...
News Introducing Pokémon Home, A New Cloud Service Compatible With Switch And Mobile Devices
No Pokémon gets left behind
Game Freak's Junichi Masuda took to the stage during the 2019 Press Conference to announce Pokémon HOME – a new cloud service compatible with the Nintendo Switch, Android, iOS and the existing Pokémon Bank service on the 3DS. It will arrive early next year and will allow trainers to transfer and trade pocket...
Reminder The Pokémon Company Is Hosting Its 2019 Press Conference
Gotta watch it all
Earlier this week, Nintendo announced a Pokémon Sword and Shield presentation would be taking place next week on 5th June. Alongside this announcement, The Pokémon Company revealed it would also host a press conference, covering a range of topics that will likely interest trainers far and wide. If you would like to watch the...
News Pokémon Direct Officially Confirmed For Next Week
Pokémon press conference also announced!
Nintendo has announced it will be hosting a Pokémon Direct live stream next week on 5th June for the upcoming Switch release, Pokémon Sword and Shield. The presentation will run for a total of 15 minutes. Just like the last presentation, this one will begin at 2pm GMT, so that's 6am PT / 9am ET / 3pm CET...
News Game Freak's Junichi Masuda Reflects On The Original Yoshi And Pokémon Games
A dose of nostalgia
Game Freak has shared a new video on its YouTube channel featuring director Junichi Masuda talking about the development of the original Pokémon games as well as the puzzle game Yoshi – also known as Mario & Yoshi in Europe and Yoshi's Egg in Japan. For starters, most people to this day still don't know the classic...
News Famitsu Shares New Screenshot Of The Battle System In Game Freak's Upcoming Switch RPG
Lovely stuff
Yesterday, we found out how Game Freak is attempting to create something "more exciting" than Pokémon in its upcoming Switch RPG, tentatively titled Town. Unfortunately, there's been little to no information about this new project since its
