Pokemon Producer Junichi Masuda Speaks Out On National Dex Drama, Promises Return Of All Pokemon In Future

Earlier this year, Pokemon Sword and Shield producer Junichi Masuda created controversy by revealing that not every Pokemon would be in the newest titles. He also said this formula would continue from now on for future games, choosing Pokemon based off fitting the region rather than including every single one.

Masuda revealed that the reason for this was to create more freedom for the development team, as including every Pokemon was causing some ideas to get scrapped.

“Up until now, we’ve been proud we’ve been able to include so many Pokemon in the games, but as a result of that, there’s actually been quite a few features or gameplay ideas that we’ve had to abandon in the past,” he said. “Going forward, thinking about the future of Pokemon, we want to prioritize all those new gameplay ideas, new ways to enjoy the game, and want to challenge ourselves at Game Freak to create new ways to enjoy the game. That’s really what drove the decision for this new direction.”

Some new features have already been shown off, such as camping, raids and curry cooking and the features aren’t stopping there. There are plans for many more things that still haven’t been revealed as the game comes out in a month.

While it is a shame that all the Pokemon won’t be in a singular title, Masuda has reiterated that Pokemon that don’t show up in the coming titles will show up in future titles.

“You can look forward to seeing Pokemon that don’t appear in these games appearing in different regions in future games.”

If this statement tells us anything, it’s that Pokemon’s popularity is not going to decrease anytime soon, as it basically assures that there will be more Pokemon games past the upcoming Sword and Shield titles where the excluded Pokemon can find a home soon enough.

Pokemon Sword and Shield launch for Nintendo Switch on November 15.