The Pokémon game series, created by Nintendo, The Pokémon Company, and Game Freak, may eventually abandon its classic battle system in the future.
In the third episode of Game Freak's official developer video series, developers Shigeki Morimoto and Kazumasa Iwao discussed the development philosophy behind Pokémon Champions and the future direction of the series' battle system. The two indicated that future battle rules may gradually evolve.
The developers explained that one reason for launching Pokémon Champions was Game Freak's reluctance to abruptly replace the classic battle system, which could leave veteran players disoriented. They noted that players have been engaging in Pokémon battles for decades, dating back to Pokémon Red/Green, so forcing them to switch to an entirely new system might not be the best approach. Therefore, Pokémon Champions is positioned to allow players to continue experiencing the classic battle gameplay they are already familiar with. At the same time, the developers stated that they still wish to explore "new directions for challenges" within the series.
Pokémon Champions no longer requires players to spend extensive time catching, training, and leveling up Pokémon before participating in battles, significantly shortening the prerequisite process for entering combat. The developers mentioned that they wanted to change the traditional progression pace because the lengthy process of raising Pokémon delays players from experiencing the game's core enjoyment—namely, battling.
The developers introduced adjustments to battle animations, prompt text, and the user interface to accelerate match progression. Pokémon Champions will also display exact probability values instead of using vague phrases like "high chance to hit," thereby enhancing the game's competitiveness and sense of fairness.
On a related note, prominent Pokémon leaker The_BallGuy recently claimed that Pokémon Wind/Wave will be co-directed by Nobuyuki Tani, director of the Pokémon Sword/Shield DLC, and Katsuhiko Ichikawa, director of the Pokémon Scarlet/Violet DLC. If true, this would mean that Junichi Masuda will no longer serve as director for new generations of Pokémon after leading the series for a full decade.