Pokemon developer Game Freak has announced a new partnership with publisher Private Division to bring a new, non-Pokemon IP to the market. The project currently titled "Project Bloom" is an action-adventure game, and from the concept art shown, it appears to feature a lone samurai in a large, misty forest. While this isn't the first time Game Freak has ventured outside the Pokemon sphere, the announcement of this new project could spell trouble for Pokemon fans hoping to see new spin-off titles, remakes, or more ambitious games like Pokemon Legends: Arceus in the near future.
Thanks to Game Freak's Gear Project initiative, internal teams can pitch ideas for new games and develop them for self-publishing or for publishing with a third-party company. This is how games like HarmoKnight, Pocket Card Jockey, and Little Town Hero came to be, and it's likely that Project Bloom is a result of this initiative as well. Partnering with Private Division gives the game the support of the publisher of games like The Outer Worlds, Kerbal Space Program, and OlliOlli World, but even with publishing support, Project Bloom could mean Game Freak is scaling back its future Pokemon plans.
Game Freak's New IP Could Mean Some Pokemon Games Take a Backseat
Game Freak has received some criticism from fans after the shortcomings of the last few Pokemon generations highlighted the problems with the company's yearly release schedule. The developer has two known teams dedicated to working on the series which allows them to maintain the pace of an annual release for the franchise. However, the technical performance of Pokemon Scarlet and Violet and limited national dex controversy from Pokemon Sword and Shield have many believing the studio is in need of a larger production force to tackle the needs of the franchise.
With a portion of the studio now being devoted to the development of Project Bloom, the resources being dedicated to the Pokemon franchise will likely be reduced. This makes it probable that Game Freak will need to either scale back the scope of its ongoing Pokemon-related projects or outsource some of them, such as remakes or spin-off titles, to other studios. The recent Gen 4 remakes Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl were the first mainline games to be developed by a studio other than Game Freak, with ILCA helming the project, however these entries were met with general disappointment from fans.
Fans hoping that Pokemon Gen 5 remakes are on the horizon may be disappointed as the games will likely be pushed until after Project Bloom releases in its projected 2026 fiscal year launch window, or will be developed by an outside studio like ILCA with the potential for mixed results. Releasing Pokemon Legends: Arceus as well as Pokemon Scarlet and Violet in the same year was a massive feat for Game Freak, but it's unlikely to be repeated now that this new IP is in development. The studio will want to prioritize Pokemon Gen 10, making it unlikely that another Legends: Arceus-style game will be coming anytime soon.
The track record for games coming out of Game Freak's Gear Project has been inconsistent with titles like HarmoKnight and Pocket Card Jockey receiving generally favorable reviews, while Little Town Hero received poor scores. Without substantial info on Project Bloom, it will be hard to judge where it will fall critically, but having a Western publisher like Private Division on the project sets a drastically different tone for the game. Though a new IP could be a nice change of pace for Game Freak, it shouldn't come at the cost of unique new Pokemon titles.