Game Freak Co-Founder Junichi Masuda Leaves the Studio to Join The Pokemon Company - News
by William D'Angelo , posted on 01 June 2022 / 1,662 Views
Game Freak co-founder and managing director Junichi Masuda has left the Pokémon developer to join The Pokemon Company as the chief creative fellow.
"[Masuda] will utilise his deep understanding of the Pokémon brand to develop new services and products […] tapping into his years of experience and creative thinking," according to The Pokemon Company via VideoGamesChronicle.
"I would like to express my heart-felt thanks to all Pokémon fans," said Masuda in a statement. "Going forward, I hope to transcend the boundaries of video games by trying to offer greater surprises, fun and excitement to people all over the world, while doing my utmost to connect people, expand the circle of ‘play’ and to help bring about a richer world for us to share. I appreciate your continued support in my new role."
Masuda is one of three co-founders of Game Freak and has been involved with the development of the majority of games at the studio. He was the composer and a programmer on the Pokémon Red / Blue / Green.
He was also the director on Pokémon Ruby / Sapphire, Pokémon FireRed / LeafGreen, Pokémon Diamond / Pearl, Pokémon Black / White, Pokémon X / Y, and Pokémon Let’s Go Pikachu / Eevee.
A life-long and avid gamer, William D'Angelo was first introduced to VGChartz in 2007. After years of supporting the site, he was brought on in 2010 as a junior analyst, working his way up to lead analyst in 2012 and taking over the hardware estimates in 2017. He has expanded his involvement in the gaming community by producing content on his own YouTube channel and Twitch channel. You can contact the author on Twitter @TrunksWD.
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Gamefreak needs to change drastically,
The latest game is same ol same ol...
Cool. Nothing against Masuda who has helped provide me with hundreds of hours of enjoyment. But, sometimes a franchise just need a change to stay fresh.
To someone that doesn't follow Pokemon closely at all, the title caught me off guard 'cause I though Game Freak was "the Pokemon company".
Creative Fellow, just like Miyamoto.
Good news. You won't be missed
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