The future of Pokémon Presents in February 2023, Creatures CEO Tsunekazu Ishihara and President Hirokazu Tanaka stepped down from their positions at the company. Creatures is one of the primary owners of the Pokémon franchise and plays an important role in deg Pokémon for the games; consequently, pocket monsters might begin to look different in Gen 10 and afterward.
Creatures’ collaborations on the Pokémon games largely revolve around two areas: 3D Pokémon models and the Pokémon Trading Card Game. Regarding the former, Creatures’ Pokémon CG Studio is responsible for creating the 3D models and animations of all Pokémon in both main series and spin-off titles. Regarding the latter, Creatures created the Pokémon TCG and continues to develop it today. Creatures thus has a significant influence on how Pokémon are designed in the gaming series; whether a trainer’s Pokémon is from a 3D Switch game or from the 2D Pokémon TCG, Creatures is involved in its creation.
What Could (& May Not) Change For Pokémon Designs In Future Generations
The transition of leadership at Creatures (via GamesIndusty.biz) has the potential to change the future of Pokémon design. That said, the process of creating Pokémon is complex and involves several companies, meaning not all aspects of Pokémon design will be influenced by Ishihara's and Tanaka's departures. Speculation about Creatures’ leadership change should thus consider the limitations of the company’s influence on the franchise. Namely, Creatures has control over the Pokémon TCG, 3D modeling and animation, and certain spin-off titles, meaning these are subject to change; however, Game Freak plays a larger part in creating the final designs, meaning current Pokémon design trends will likely continue.
3D Pokémon Models Could (& Should) Become More Lively And Colorful
Creatures’ new leadership has the capacity to change the company’s approach to 3D modeling. When Pokémon made the jump to 3D in Pokémon X and Y, it was an exciting and perhaps necessary evolutionary step for the series make. Nevertheless, Pokémon's transition into 3D has remained controversial and unsatisfactory for many fans.
The reasoning behind such criticism tends to point to two common trends seen in Pokémon’s 3D models. The first is that the 3D models often lack color; compared to their 2D sprites, the 3D models look desaturated and bland, with the common example of this being Dragonite's pallid orange compared to older generations' more saturated orange. The second reason is that the models are simply animated and lack character. Players often point out that Hitmontop’s 2D sprite in Gen 5 balances on its head and teeters side-to-side to communicate its energy and spinning-top design; as a 3D model, though, Hitmontop merely stands on its feet swaying left to right.
Creatures’ new CEO and President, Yuji Kitano, has the opportunity to change the company’s approach to 3D models. The reasoning behind Creatures’ decision to desaturate 3D models and use simpler animations aren’t necessarily clear - it could have been the initial technological limitations of the 3DS or Creatures' artistic preference. Nevertheless, the desire for more colorful models and character-driven animation now exists, and Creatures may be able to fulfill on this promise should it choose to.
Pokémon TCG Could See More Secret Rare Designs Than Before
Before becoming Creatures’ CEO and president, Kitano was a producer of the Pokémon TCG. Kitano could thus continue developing on the Pokémon TCG’s current trends with card and set designs, which have seen the game produce more cards than ever before. YouTuber Danny Phantump found that the Pokémon TCG released its first set with over 200 cards in 2018, but every year since then has consistently seen decks with over 200 cards in them in addition to new special sets.
More Pokémon TCG cards has meant more ultra and special rare designs for collectors. This trend has been met with both excitement and criticism. Secret rares - particularly those with alternative designs for Pokémon - are always sought after, and the Pokémon TCG has gotten better at creating unique designs, such as the Gardevoir series from Scarlet ex and Violet ex. However, others have pointed out that the increase in secret rare cards has made them less exciting or valuable to obtain; YouTuber Squeaks Game World also pointed out that the increase in secret rares has made collecting cards more difficult and expensive.
The Pokémon TCG experienced a resurgence in popularity because of its new practices with card printing, though. Considering that Kitano was the game’s producer before becoming Creatures' CEO and President, it’s highly likely that these practices will continue. Fans may find this hard on the wallet, but it will nevertheless result in more interesting designs for Pokémon cards.
New Pokémon Designs Will Likely Be Similar To Recent Generations
Creatures’ influence over 3D models and the Pokémon TCG may be strong, but that may not impact the way Pokémon designs are first conceptualized and made. Game Informer did an in-depth dive with Pokémon Director Junichi Masuda into the process of creating new Pokémon, and through his explanation, it became clear that Game Freak’s graphic designers are largely responsible for creating the final designs of Pokémon. This means that Creatures could still impact the designs of Pokémon in of how their 3D models look, but the actual designs of pocket monsters appears to be Game Freak’s responsibility.
That doesn’t mean Creatures or its new leadership can’t impact new Pokémon designs. In his interview with Game Informer, Masuda said, “These ideas [for Pokémon] come from a lot of different places, the gameplay, the visuals, the story, and in the end those ideas just get centralized and designed.” Creatures has been the developer of spin-off Pokémon games in the past, such as Detective Pikachu and Pokémon Ranger. As such, new titles developed by Creatures could influence Pokémon design by requesting new designs for story or game needs.
The fate of Pokémon and pocket monster designs is unclear in the wake of the Creature leadership shake-up. 3D models for Pokémon seem likely candidates for change, and the Pokémon TCG will likely continue making more unique card designs under Kitano’s leadership. The only thing that is certain is that, once the Gen 10 Pokémon games come out, they will unveil how this major change in Pokémon leadership will shape the franchise’s future.
Sources: GamesInudstry.biz, Danny Phantump/YouTube, Squeaks Game World/YouTube, Game Informer
