Pokémon developer Junichi Masuda leaves Game Freak

Junichi Masuda, one of the original developers of the Pokémon series, is leaving Game Freak. Masuda is also one of the co-founders of the company and has worked for Game Freak for over thirty years.

In a statement Masuda announced Wednesday that he will become chief creative fellow for The Pokémon Company, a Nintendo subsidiary that focuses on marketing around the Pokémon franchise. “I hope to cross the boundaries of video games by trying to bring more surprises, fun and excitement to people around the world,” Masuda writes.

The developer founded Game Freak in 1989 along with Satoshi Tajiri and Ken Sugimori. In addition to being a programmer, Masuda was also the composer for Pokémon Red and Blue. In the development of Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire, the developer took on the role of game director. He was also the game director for Diamond and Pearl, Black and White, X and Y, and Let’s Go Pikachu and Eevee. In other Pokémon projects, Masuda was involved as a producer, composer, consultant, or supervisor. The last Pokémon game he contributed to is Pokémon Legends: Arceus. That came out in January of this year for the Nintendo Switch.