Pokemon Director Junichi Masuda Leaves GameFreak, Gets New Job At The Pokemon Company

Junichi Masuda, best known for his work on the Pokemon series, has announced that he will be leaving GameFreak, though it looks like he’s not quite done with the Pocket Monsters just yet.

According to The Pokemon Company, his tenure as Managing Director at GameFreak ended on May 31st, and as of June 1st Junichi Masuda would be appointed Creative Fellow at The Pokemon Company.

The website says that with his new role, he will use his expertise to develop new products for the Pokemon brand.

“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”, Masuda says. “I appreciate your continued support in my new role”.

Based on the information presented, there’s several conclusions that can be drawn from the move- considering all Pokemon-related endeavors go through The Pokemon Company, rather than GameFreak, it’s safe to assume that Masuda will be more involved with other Pokemon products, not just the console games.

It should be noted that Creative Fellow is a distinguished position, with Nintendo having appointed their own storied veteran, Shigeru Miyamoto to the role in their own company.