Just recently, news came out that Game Freak, the studio known for developing the Pokémon series, has begun work on a brand-new project. Currently, this project goes by the codename Project Bloom, and as one would expect, details remain scarce thus far. If you have just heard about this, you might wonder if Project Bloom will serve as another entry in the Pokémon series. Although Game Freak has worked on other titles before, Pokémon remains their go-to franchise. With this in mind, such a question would not be unwarranted.
Is Project Bloom part of the Pokémon IP?
As it turns out, not only does Project Bloom not belong in the Pokémon franchise, but it also serves as quite the departure from Game Freak’s usual fare. Working with publisher Private Division for the first time, Game Freak promises to deliver an “ambitious” action-adventure title. The concept art revealed for the project depicts not cute collectable creatures, but rather a lone samurai standing amidst an enormous forest. Couple that with the realistic art style, and it seems more than apparent that Game Freak wishes to go beyond its comfort zone with this one.
Kota Furushima, a director at Game Freak, expressed excitement over “the opportunity to create new IP that is bold and tonally different from our prior work.” He praised Private Division as a natural fit for this new project, saying that Game Freak aimed to work with the company on the title “from the beginning.” Notably, Private Division happens to serve as the first Western publisher Game Freak has partnered with, a fact that Michael Worosz, the head of the publisher, felt “honored” about.
Given the poor state that Pokémon Scarlet and Violet launched in, certain players may understandably feel skeptical about Game Freak’s ability to deliver on a game as big as Project Bloom. But at least for now, it appears that the developer won’t be constrained by the infamously tight deadlines that typically plague the Pokémon series. That alone could make a huge difference in how Project Bloom turns out.
Image via Nintendo