Pokémon development studio announces new (non-Pokémon) game
Game Freak is known for its Pokémon games. Now the studio is teaming up with Private Division to work on a new action adventure. Game Freak seems to be breaking new ground.
Private Division, a publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, announces a partnership with Game Freak. The goal: the release of a new title, currently still codenamed "Project Bloom".
Game Freak has already developed dozens of successful games, including over 30 titles in the Pokémon series. Private Division is now set to release a new action-adventure game from Game Freak, codenamed "Project Bloom". To celebrate this announcement, the label has unveiled a first concept image for the game on its website and on Twitter. It shows a samurai in a forest with huge trees. The atmospheric image suggests that the game is taking a different direction to Game Freak's previous projects.
Source: Private Division
"We're thrilled to have the opportunity to develop a new IP that stands out from our previous work," says Kota Furushima, Director of Game Freak. "Private Division was the publisher we wanted to work with on our new game from the very beginning."
No wonder, Private Division has published various iconic hits, such as "Kerbal Space Programme" or "The Outer Worlds". The head of Private Division, Michael Worosz, is "honoured" that his company is the first western publisher to work with Game Freak.
In the past, some of Game Freak's games have struggled with technical problems - for example Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. This naturally raises the question of whether Game Freak has the bandwidth to skilfully implement ambitious projects such as Project Bloom.
Masafumi Saito, Planning Director at Game Freak, is confident: "Even if resources are scarce, we will not stop working on original games. As a company, we have to face new challenges, and as developers, we definitely want to do new fun things."
As Project Bloom is still at an early stage of development, no release date is yet known. It is expected to be released in Take-Two's 2026 financial year - between April 2025 and March 2026.
Cover photo: Private Division
In my world, Super Mario chases Stormtroopers with a unicorn and Harley Quinn mixes cocktails for Eddie and Peter at the beach bar. Wherever I can live out my creativity, my fingers tingle. Or maybe it's because nothing flows through my veins but chocolate, glitter and coffee.