Pokemon Developer Game Freak Ramping Up Hiring

Summary

Game Freak is actively hiring for over 35 positions, including planners, artists, programmers, and project managers for upcoming projects.
The developer is seeking both experienced veterans and newcomers, with some roles specifically mentioning involvement with the Pokemon franchise
Game Freak has multiple major projects on the way, both including 2025's Pokemon Legends: Z-A and the recently announced "Project Bloom" as a new IP.

Pokemon developer Game Freak is reportedly heating up with its hiring, seeking a variety of positions from planners to programmers with high-profile games like Pokemon Legends: Z-A on the way. The juggernaut developer has become a household name in gaming following its original establishment in 1989, most well-known for its work on the main-series Pokemon games. While the developer has mostly worked on Pokemon since heading the franchise, Game Freak has also produced some smaller titles like 2019's Little Town Hero. Now, the studio is looking to bring in new staff.

Game Freak has kept itself consistently busy as a studio throughout recent years, constantly pushing out major titles with nearly every year. Pokemon has released a multitude of main-series games in the past decade, with new generations like Sword and Shield and Scarlet and Violet alongside DLC for those games. The developer also has a non-Pokemon project in the pipeline, with Game Freak announcing Project Bloom as a new action-adventure from the studio in collaboration with publisher Private Division. Now, Game Freak is hiring with plenty of positions to fill.

Game Freak is Hiring for 37 Positions

As reported by NintendoLife, Game Freak has listed several different positions that the developer is looking to fill within the coming weeks. The full recruitment list features more than 35 different jobs available at Game Freak, with everything from planners and 3D artists to R&D programmers included. The hiring drive includes jobs with a wide variety of requirements, looking for both seasoned veterans with years of experience and newcomers with no game industry experience. Some positions also specifically mention Pokemon, potentially hinting at involvement with Pokemon Legends: Z-A.

Planner
Planner (scenario/setting creation)
[Contract] Sound Planner (Pokemon series development)
Character Model
Effects
Background Model
Cutscenes
Section Director
Lighting Artist
Human Motion
Pokemon Models
2D Art Designer
2D Art Designer: Background
[Contract] 2D Artwork Designer (Pokemon series development)
Project Manager
[Contract] Assistant Project Manager
Game Programmer
Game Programmer: Communication System
[Contract] Game Programmer: Characters (New IP)
[Contract] Game Programmer: Events (New IP)
[Contract] UI Programmer (New IP)
[Contract] Communication Game Programmer (Pokemon seris development
[Contract] Unity Engineer (Assigned to R&D Department)
[Contract] Animation Programmer (Assigned to R&D Department)
[Contract] Infrastructure Engineer (Server)
[Contract] Information Systems: Windows Infrastructure Engineer
R&D Programmer: Communication Systems
R&D Programmer: Animation
R&D Programmer: Machine Learning Engineer
R&D Programmer: Graphics
R&D Programmer: Systems
R&D Programmer: Battle Systems
R&D Programmer: Libraries
Technical Artist: Procedural
Technical Artist: Tools
HR and Recruitment
[Contact] IT Help Desk

The push for new employees at Game Freak comes as the developer is looking to buck several major trends within its biggest upcoming game. Pokemon Legends: Z-A will mark the first time in franchise history that Pokemon has gone more than two years without the release of a major new game, with Scarlet and Violet launching in late 2022. Legends: Z-A's setting also served as a major surprise to fans, with Game Freak seemingly skipping over the fifth generation's Unova region to focus on Gen 6's Kalos. Pokemon Legends: Z-A is currently expected to launch in 2025.

New hires at Game Freak will look to bring fresh ideas and new faces into an iconic developer likely looking to make a change. While Pokemon Scarlet and Violet sold well, the newest generation of Pokemon games were panned on launch by fans and critics, citing performance issues and poor graphical quality. The two newest Pokemon games currently sit as the lowest-ranked main-series games among critics in Pokemon's nearly 30-year history. Game Freak will look to breathe some fresh life into the franchise soon with Pokemon Legends: Z-A's 2025 debut.

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