Japanese developer Game Freak has become synonymous with the Pokemon line of RPG games. They rose to fame with Pokemon Red & Blue in 1996, cementing the iconic turn-based formula for years to come.

This is what pushed them towards stardom, becoming one of the most popular developers on the Nintendo platform. However, they have also worked on a number of unique IPs, as well as multi-platform releases over the past decade.

Speaking with VGC, the studio’s key employees, including general manager Masafumi Saito, shared key details about the studio’s journey so far. They discussed how new IP releases are important to the team and their mindset going forward. Here’s a rundown of the details.

Game Freak wants to be known as the studio that creates more than just Pokemon

Game Freak’s general manager, Masafumi Saito, had the following to say in the interview:

“It is very important to Game Freak to keep taking on the challenge of creating original games. I think that creating a game from scratch, putting it out there, and getting a good reception is a great motivator for creators and is also very significant in terms of its meaning for the growth of the company.”

This is true. In addition to their bread-and-butter, the Pokemon series, the company has been involved with a variety of new IPs across different platforms. In fact, the first time a non-monster catcher offering from Game Freak saw mainstream success was with Drill Dozer back on Game Boy Advance in…