Just recently, it was announced that Game Freak, the studio known for developing the Pokémon series, has started work on a brand new project. Currently, this project is codenamed Project Bloom, and as you might expect, details are scarce so far. If you just heard about it, you might be wondering if Project Bloom will serve as another entry in the Pokémon series. Though Game Freak has worked on other titles before, Pokémon remains their franchise of choice. Against this background, such a question would not be unjustified.

Is Project Bloom part of the Pokemon IP?

As it turns out, Project Bloom not only doesn’t belong in the Pokemon franchise, but it’s also quite a departure from Game Freak’s usual fare. Game Freak is working with publisher Private Division for the first time and promises to deliver an “ambitious” action-adventure title. The concept art revealed for the project doesn’t show cute collectible creatures, but a lonely samurai standing in the middle of a vast forest. Combine that with the realistic art style, and it seems more than obvious that Game Freak wants to push beyond his comfort zone with this one.

Kota Furushima, a director at Game Freak, said he was excited about “the opportunity to create a new intellectual property that is bold and sonically different from our previous work.” He hailed Private Division as a natural fit for this new venture, saying Game Freak aimed to work with the company on the title “from the beginning.” Notably, Private Division happens to be the first western publisher that Game Freak worked with, a fact that Michael Worosz, the publisher’s head, felt “honored”.

Given the bad state that Pokemon Scarlet and Violet launched, some gamers are understandably skeptical about Game Freak’s ability to deliver a game as big as Project Bloom. But for now, at least, it appears the developer isn’t constrained by the notoriously tight deadlines that usually plague Pokemon Series. That alone could make a big difference in how Project Bloom performs.

Image via Nintendo