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Project Bloom Concept Art
Image via Private Division
Category:
News
Tier 1

Pokémon Developer Partners with Private Division on Project Bloom

The new IP is expected to launch sometime in the 2026 fiscal year.
Image of Matthew Fuller
Matthew Fuller
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Published: May 9, 2023 04:27 pm

Game Freak, the developers behind the hugely popular Pokémon video games, has been associated with Nintendo for most of their time in the industry. That partnership has proven to be a lucrative one that’s lasted many years.

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Today, the studio has revealed its desire to create something new with a different partner. Game Freak have announced they will be partnering with Private Division to create a brand new action-adventure IP, codenamed Project Bloom, with the game currently in development.

Related: Frustrated Pokémon Go Players Ask “What is Left to Do” Following Changes

Project Bloom is a Major Departure For Game Freak

In an announcement post, Private Division and Game Freak expressed excitement about the new venture. Kota Furushima, director at Game Freak, said they look forward to making something new with a “bold and tonally different from our prior work.” Michael Worosz, the head of Private Division, shared the same sentiment, saying they are prepared to help Game Freak “unleash their potential” in creating a bold new IP, and added they are honored to be the first western developer to work with the studio. In celebration of the announcement, they shared the first piece of concept art for the game, which already shows a vast departure from the studio’s usual monster-capturing antics.

We currently have no information on what Project Bloom will be or entail, including its platforms. Still, we know the game is now in early development and has a rough release window for the 2026 Fiscal Year. As far as we know, this partnership will not affect Game Freak’s involvement with the Pokémon series or its partnership with Nintendo.

This isn’t the first time Game Freak has worked with other partners or released non-Pokémon related games. They released Tembo the Badass Elephant in partnership with Sega in 2016, and in 2019 self-published and released Little Town Hero. They recently released Pocket Card Jockey: Ride On!, a sequel to the 3DS original Pocket Card Jockey for Apple Arcade.

Related: Pokémon Go Players Attempt to Save The Game With New Ideas

Despite not knowing much about this new project, it’s exciting to think that Game Freak will be working on a new IP in a new genre for the studio. Fans will likely be racing with ideas about what we could expect from the new game, but we will be waiting a while until we hear anything further about Project Bloom. For now, we’ll have to stick to Pokémon.

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Author
Image of Matthew Fuller
Matthew Fuller
Matt is a freelance writer based in the UK and has spent over three years covering and writing about video games. He discovered his love of games journalism while attending Canterbury Christchurch University, where he earned a bachelor's and master's degree in Game Design and has been writing ever since. He will find any excuse to play and write about games. When he isn't fighting dragons or exploring far-off galaxies, he spends his free time playing D&D, listening to music, or reading a good book. His primary game bests are Diablo IV, the Final Fantasy series, D&D, and anything new releasing that tickles his fancy.
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