"There are also lots of different ways to enjoy Pokemon, not just by battling," says Pokopia lead, who points to Ruby and Sapphire for ways to "scale the Pokemon games in general"

A screenshot of Pokemon Pokopia showing Ditto and Bulbasaur growing more grass in a blocky, green field — (Image credit: The Pokemon Company)

As Pokemon prepares to release its very first life sim, the Animal Crossing-esque Pokemon Pokopia, long-time series developer Shigeru Ohmori says that he's interested in seeking "new possibilities to scale" the games in ways that don't just focus on battles.

The Pokemon series turns 30 years old this month, and in that time, there have been a whole load of spin-offs as well as the main series titles that see you going around, catching and battling, and becoming the very best like no one ever was. In those three decades, however, battles of some sort have remained a focus in most games – there are exceptions, of course (looking at you, Pokemon Snap), as well as facets of the main games that explore different concepts, like the Pokemon Contests introduced in Ruby and Sapphire. Going forward, it sounds like we could expect even more variety.

He later elaborates on this, noting the franchise's historical battle-led focus. "When I've worked previously on a Pokemon project, yes, battles have been the focus," he says, before pointing out that "there's also been other side content" including the Secret Bases first seen in Ruby and Sapphire, as well as Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl's expanded Grand Underground, which added loads on top of the 2006 RPGs' original Underground mode.

While Ohmori doesn't explain what ideas he might have in mind, this certainly sounds promising. He's been one of the leads on loads of Pokemon games over the years, having been the director of Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, Sun and Moon, Sword and Shield, and Scarlet and Violet – he was most recently senior director of Pokemon Legends: Z-A, and now Pokemon Pokopia, too. Needless to say, having someone as senior as him pushing for more focus on those additional aspects of the Pokemon universe that haven't been given much attention? Sign me up.

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I'm GamesRadar+'s Deputy News Editor, working alongside the rest of the news team to deliver cool gaming stories that we love. After spending more hours than I can count filling The University of Sheffield's student newspaper with Pokemon and indie game content, and picking up a degree in Journalism Studies, I started my career at GAMINGbible where I worked as a journalist for over a year and a half. I then became TechRadar Gaming's news writer, where I sourced stories and wrote about all sorts of intriguing topics. In my spare time, you're sure to find me on my Nintendo Switch or PS5 playing through story-driven RPGs like Xenoblade Chronicles and Persona 5 Royal, nuzlocking old Pokemon games, or going for a Victory Royale in Fortnite.

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