James Turner Joins The Pokémon Company After Developing The Plucky Squire

A Return to the Roots: James Turner Takes on a New Position

Renowned British game designer and artist James Turner has officially joined The Pokémon Company. He announced this personally on his social media accounts, noting that he has taken on the role of creative director for the Pokémon franchise.

The Journey from Game Freak to His Own Studio and Back

Turner has a rich history of working with Pokémon. He became the first Western designer to create official pocket monsters for the series (his designs include Vanillite, Golurk, Phantump, Sinistea, as well as Ultra Beasts). Later, he served as the art director for Pokémon Sword and Shield.

After many years at Game Freak, Turner left to found his own independent studio, All Possible Futures, where he co-directed the adventure game The Plucky Squire. Now, he returns to the Pokémon universe once again, this time directly joining the management entity, The Pokémon Company.