Pokémon Sword and Shield art director leaves Game Freak, forms new studio

One of the main artists behind Pokémon Sword and Shield revealed today that he had left Game Freak and formed a new game studio with an old friend.

James Turner, the art director for Sword and Shield, announced the news through Twitter that his new studio will be called All Possible Futures. “My old friend @onebitbeyondand I have formed a new game studio called All Possible Futures,” he said. He also teased that the studio’s first game will be revealed soon “with an awesome trailer.”

Aside from his role as the art director for Sword and Shield, Turner also worked for other Pokémon games. He designed seven Pokémon for Pokémon Black and White, two for Pokémon X and Y, two for Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, and all the characters in Pokémon Battle Revolution. Outside of Pokémon, Turner directed the 2015 title HarmoKnight, as well as Sega’s Tembo the Badass Elephant.

Some of the Pokémon Turner designed include the evolution trees of Vanillite, Vanillish, and Vanillux, Ultra Beasts such as Buzzwole, Guzzlord, Poipole, and Naganandel, the famous Gigantamax Gengar, and the Galarian forms of Zigzagoon, Linoone, and Obstagoon.

As for Pokémon news elsewhere, the collaboration between Pokémon Go and the Pokémon Trading Card Game through the newest TCG pack called Pokémon TCG: Pokémon Go Expansion will be happening this month and July. The Japanese set will be released on June 17, while the U.S. release is set on July 1. You can check out the official announcement by The Pokémon Company to find out more.