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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.
"There are also lots of different ways to enjoy Pokemon, not just by battling. I personally think that, and the fans do too," Ohmori explains in an interview with VGC about Pokemon Pokopia, of which he's the senior director.
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.
"I believe a lot of the fans enjoy these things as well. So, I would like to scale the Pokemon games in general, aside from battling. I will seek new possibilities to scale them."
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.
