Game Freak goes over the challenge of creating, and the design process for new Pokemon

Pokemon Sword and Shield is only a few weeks out from launch, and it's going to introduce Pokemon fans to a whole new world of pocket monsters. After so many installments in the franchise, how does the team at Game Freak still come up with ideas? Game Freak's James Turner explained in an interview with Game Informer.

- this start off with a simple request for an artist
- this involves “a concept of a Pokemon for a particular scenario” or “a specific direction for a new creature”
- the artist will make “quick sketches with few details, which are shown to the team” for approval
- feedback provided will lead to several iterations of the design
- the gaps between the feedback sessions get longer and longer as the artist hones in on the final design
- about two or three out of every ten Pokemon drawn are used in the game
- ones that are scrapped often appear later on in the series

“There are a lot of Pokemon. To me, it’s like trying to park in a really crowded car park or something. You’re going this way, there’s a car there. You’re going this way, there’s a car. You’re trying to find some unique space. This color scheme has been used before, this animal has been used before. You’re trying to find something unique. That’s important.”

“You can’t just come up with a cool looking design or a cute-looking design that hasn’t got any logic behind it. This Pokemon has these cool, big horns, and it looks mean and tough, but why would it have these horns? How does it live? How does it exist in the environment? That’s really important. If there’s no meaning behind the decorations, then they’re not really necessary for the design. We have to think about how this creature exists in the world and how it lives in the world.”