Game Freak keep making games that have nothing to do Pokémonone of the studio executives has said.
Last month, the studio released Pocket Card Jockey: Ride On, a remake of its cult favorite 3DS horse racing/solitaire combo. Apple Arcade.
Talking AxiosDirector of Ride On Masao Taya emphasized that the studio was committed to making more non-Pokémon games.
“We think it’s very important that the studio continues to make and publish titles outside of the Pokémon series,” Taya said.
Pocket Card Jockey: Ride On Review | VGC
“The resources needed for game development have grown and grown in recent years, so Development Department One has experimented with a development style where it works with outside studios.”
Ten years ago, Game Freak started an internal initiative called the Gear Project, where developers could pitch original game ideas during quieter times when Pokémon development isn’t as intense.
Although best known for the Pokémon series, the developer has previously released a number of smaller, unrelated games such as HarmoKnight, Tembo the Badass Elephant, and Giga Wrecker.
Taya’s comments to Axios echo similar sentiments Comments on VGC last month written by Masafumi Saito, General Manager of Game Freak’s Development Department 1.
“It’s very important to Game Freak to continue the challenge of creating original games,” Saito told us.
“In my opinion, creating a game from scratch, releasing it and getting a good reception is a great motivator for the creators and also very significant in terms of its importance to the growth of the company.
“Having said that, we’re not thinking of limiting original games to small-scale projects. It’s been ten years since we founded the original games department.
“At first, team members were doing the same thing while also developing Pokémon, so it was hard to focus on developing the original games. Now we’re working with outside companies to start experimenting with moving projects of the same scale at the same time.
“We want the Gear Project to become new titles that are loved by many people around the world, just like the Pokémon series has been.”
