Pokémon’s Game Freak Announces Its New Non-Nintendo Game (PICTURED)   

A brand new IP is coming with an unexpected partner

Game Freak , the Japanese development team responsible for the wildly popular Pokémon series, has revealed a new game, which will not be published by Nintendo. In particular, the team started a new partnership with Private Division , a publishing division of Take-Two Interactive.

This new game is currently codenamed Project Bloom and is described as a “sweeping” action-adventure that will be “bold and different” from Game Freak’s previous work.

So far all that has been released is a concept art illustrated by Kazuma Koda, who has worked on games such as Nier: Automata, Bayonetta 2 and Fire Emblem: Three Houses. The visual shows a lone warrior in a swampy forest, wearing traditional Japanese clothing and holding a sword. The warrior is surrounded by a wave of seeds or fireflies, with whatever this might mean for the game’s setting or story.

Game Freak head Kota Furushima said that Project Bloom is an original IP that the company has wanted to create for a long time. In fact, he emphasized that Private Division was the ideal partner for the venture, as it has a history and global experience in game publishing. He also said that Project Bloom will be the first game for which Game Freak will work with a publisher from the West and not from Japan.

For his part, Private Division’s chief strategy officer, Michael Worosz, said that Game Freak is one of the most iconic and talented game developers in the industry and that Private Division is honored to be the first Western publisher to work with with them. Finally, he pointed out that Private Division will help Game Freak develop its capabilities and bring a bold new IP to market.

Project Bloom is still in early development and is expected to be released in Take-Two’s 2026 fiscal year, which is between April 1, 2025 and March 31, 2026. Project Bloom’s release platforms have not yet been announced.

Of course, Game Freak is best known for its work on the Pokémon series, which has sold over 300 million copies worldwide. However, he has also developed other games in the past, such as Giga Wrecker, Pocket Card Jockey and Tembo the Badass Elephant.