Since 2014, one man in particular — Shigeru Ohmori — has overseen the majority of Pokémon games released by Game Freak. From Pokémon Omega Ruby and Sapphire all the way to Pokémon Pokopia, Ohmori has had a major influence on modern Pokémon as we know it. According to leaks, that multi-generational pocket monster run may finally be coming to an end.
According to Pokémon Winds and Waves leaker BallGuy, the tenth generation of games will be directed by Game Freak veterans Hiroyuki Tani and Katsuhiko Ichiraku. Both men have been a part of major Pokémon games in some capacity, but this would be their first time leading a base game. The two are otherwise best known for their work on the DLCs for Pokémon Sword and Shield and Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. Both content additions were well received by the public, and some even considered them superior versions of their respective games.
For some, this is reason enough to get excited. The Crown Tundra DLC for Pokémon Sword and Shield was known for its wider scope and focus on exploration, which will be critical in a game that emphasizes adventures in the wild. Pokémon Scarlet and Violet’s Teal Mask DLC was praised in 2023 for its slice-of-life storytelling, which helped ground the grand scope of what are technically the first open-world Pokémon games. This is a distinction if only because Scarlet and Violet were notoriously buggy at launch. The public wasn’t able to experience these games in their intended form until 2025, when the Switch 2 received some free performance upgrades for the games.
Leaked information that reveals who is actually developing the next Pokémon game may sound silly, but Game Freak hasn’t officially announced any directors for the projects yet. It’s also possible that Ohmori will still be involved in Winds and Waves in some capacity. If internal documents leaked in 2025 are to be believed, then Ohmori worked on the proposal for the game.
The presentation cited influences such as No Man’s Sky and Spore. The deck points toward Spore‘s dynamic evolution system, which may form the basis of Winds and Waves’ rumored “Seed” Pokémon. Seed Pokémon are expected to introduce a type of monster that does not have a set evolutionary tree. Instead, factors like the environment, weather, and the trainer’s nurturing dictate how Seed Pokémon may grow. Seed Pokémon may also explain why Winds and Waves are rumored to introduce 300 new monsters, the most in the series’ 30-year history.
Since game development is a process, we don’t yet know which of Ohmori’s ideas will make it into the final cut. The same document leaks claim that Ohmori was no longer a director on the next Pokémon games as of 2024.
One of the potential benefits of an internal shake-up is seeing younger developers push the series in new directions. Mainline Pokémon games are often criticized by fans and haters alike for their aversion to risks. At the same time, Game Freak seems interested in exploring what else the series can do. Games like Pokémon Legends: Z-A and their action-oriented gameplay are a huge departure from the mainline games in the series.
If the latest leaks are true, then we may see a continuation of that boundary-pushing spirit in Pokémon Winds and Waves. Already, there are whispers of a new battle system that may shake things up. Hopefully, that’s one of many changes — the series desperately needs some new ideas.