\n<\/p>\n
It seems that big changes may be in store for the Pok\u00e9mon formula. In a recent talk between Pok\u00e9mon battle director Shigeki Morimoto and Pok\u00e9mon Champions<\/em> game director Kazumasa Iwao, the former said a key reason Game Freak released Champions <\/em>was to preserve a place for the series’ traditional turn-based battles, implying even the mainline games may eventually ditch this approach.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n In a translated statement posted by Centro Leaks on X, Iwao said, \u201cOne big reason [for Champions<\/em>]: the battle rules we\u2019ve used through the Pok\u00e9mon series for so long may gradually start changing as the series moves forward. And there are people who\u2019ve been playing since Red<\/em> and Green<\/em>, Gold<\/em> and Silver<\/em> \u2014 decades. So just saying \u2018battles have changed now play the new one\u2019 didn\u2019t feel right.\u201d<\/p>\n Over the last few years, Game Freak has gone with a different approach in the spin-off Legends games (Arceus<\/em> and Z-A<\/em>), altering combat so players control their \u2018mons in real-time, selecting attacks which then go on cooldown. While the Legends games are a significant departure, the mainline Pok\u00e9mon titles have still been using the series\u2019 turn-based approach, the most recent being 2022\u2019s Scarlet<\/em> and Violet<\/em>.<\/p>\n Pok\u00e9mon<\/em> Winds<\/em> and Waves <\/em>are the next mainline series installments, and while Game Freak hasn\u2019t officially announced if they will be turn-based or real-time, a tranche of 2024 leaks suggests that they will still be turn-based. However, the formula will likely change significantly, incorporating elements from Arceus <\/em>and Z-A<\/em>. Earlier this year, Centro Leaks claimed that instead of being locked into a singles or doubles fight, opposing teams can change mid-battle, with additional opponents entering the fray. One alleged leaked image from the game shows a trainer battling nine Charizards. The game will also apparently introduce over 300 new ‘mons, which would be almost double the series’ previous high.<\/p>\n Game Freak released Pok\u00e9mon Champions<\/em> this April to a somewhat mixed initial reception. It\u2019s a PvP battle sim where players create teams and duke it out online. While the Pok\u00e9mon competitive scene was a bit hostile to the game at first because it only featured a small subset of Pok\u00e9mon, many eventually came around, accepting that it works as a great introduction to the competitive scene because<\/em> it doesn\u2019t include everything. Instead, players have been forced to create all-new teams that differ from Scarlet<\/em> and Violet<\/em>\u2019s meta. The game\u2019s monetization is also relatively forgiving for a free-to-play title, making it fairly easy to earn the in-game currency needed to build and train teams.<\/p>\n Still, Iwao\u2019s comments likely struck a nerve, because there are many fans who love turn-based battles but aren\u2019t interested in sweating it out online against a Charizard Y player who keeps using Heat Wave. While the mainline series will remain turn-based for the short term, it seems that may not be true forever.<\/p>\n