In a recent interview with Axios, Pocket Card Jockey director Masao Taya revealed that Game Freak plans to continue making and releasing games outside of the popular Pokémon franchise. While Game Freak has released games beyond Pokémon in the past, such as Little Town Hero and Giga Wrecker, the studio’s output has largely been focused on the Pokémon series since the release of Red and Blue.

The complexity of developing and releasing Pokémon titles almost every year has made it difficult for Game Freak to create games without external support. Taya mentioned that in recent years, the resources needed for game development have grown, prompting Development Department One to try out a style of development where it works with external studios.

Game Freak’s most recent release is a remake of Pocket Card Jokey, titled Ride On! The updated version features 3D races, updated visuals, and changes to the rule set. Game Freak worked with Infiniteloop Co. and Pixyda on the remake.

Taya did not provide details on the types of games that Game Freak plans to release in the future, but he did mention that updates are coming to Ride On. He stated that some feedback received on the game was that it was too difficult, and he hopes to carefully adjust the balance going forward. Other updates are also planned, but details have not yet been revealed.

While Pokémon has been a huge success for Game Freak, it’s exciting to see the studio branching out and creating new titles. Fans of Game Freak’s previous non-Pokémon releases will be eagerly anticipating what the studio has in store for the future.

Game Freak, the Japanese video game developer, is best known for creating the hugely successful Pokémon franchise. The studio was founded in 1989 by Satoshi Tajiri and Ken Sugimori, who wanted to create games that were inspired by their childhood experiences catching insects.

The first game that Game Freak developed was a puzzle game called Quinty, which was released for the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1990. However, it wasn’t until the release of Pokémon Red and Green in 1996 that the studio achieved global success.

The original Pokémon games were developed for the Game Boy and featured a simple but addictive gameplay loop, where players would catch, train and battle Pokémon creatures. The game’s success led to a media franchise that included an anime series, trading card game, toys, and more. The series has since become one of the most successful and recognizable gaming franchises in the world.

Despite the success of Pokémon, Game Freak has continued to develop other games outside of the franchise. Some of their other notable games include Pulseman, a platformer released in 1994 for the Sega Genesis, and Drill Dozer, a Game Boy Advance game released in 2005.

In recent years, Game Freak has also released games such as Little Town Hero and Giga Wrecker. Little Town Hero is a turn-based RPG that takes place in a small village, while Giga Wrecker is a puzzle platformer that features a young girl with the power to control debris.

Game Freak has often worked with external studios and developers, such as collaborating with Niantic on Pokémon Go and working with Sega on the development of their games. In 2021, Game Freak released a remake of Pocket Card Jockey, an Apple Arcade exclusive game that was first released in 2016.

Game Freak’s history is defined by the enormous success of the Pokémon franchise, which has become one of the most successful and recognizable gaming franchises in the world. Despite the franchise’s popularity, the studio has continued to develop other games outside of Pokémon, showing their versatility as game developers. With a long history of developing games, it’s exciting to see what Game Freak has in store for the future.