Nintendo, The Pokemon Company, and Game Freak’s upcoming role-playing games, Pokemon Winds and Waves, will be co-directed by the Sword/Shield and Scarlet/Violet DLC directors, according to a new rumor.
Known Pokemon insider The_BallGuy took to Twitter/X to claim that Pokemon Winds and Waves will be directed by Hiroyuki Tani, the director of Pokemon Sword and Shield DLC, and Katsuhiko Ichiraku, the director of Pokemon Scarlet and Violet DLC. If the rumor is true, this would mean that Shigeru Ohmori will not be the director of a new Pokemon generation after a whole decade.
Over the last 10 years, Ohmori directed Pokemon Sun and Moon, Pokemon Sword and Shield, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, and Pokemon Z-A, and also worked on spin-off titles. As for what he’ll be working on next, according to the insider, he is currently involved in the development of the Generation 11 Pokemon title, though it’s unclear whether he’s directing the project or occupying a different position.
Recently, another known Pokemon insider CentroLeaks claimed that Pokemon Winds and Waves will feature the highest amount of new Pokemon ever. According to them, the number that is floating around is around 300 new Pokemon/forms. Additionally, the leaker mentioned that the game’s new battle mechanic will introduce special weather forms for some Pokemon along the lines of Megas/Gigantamax.
While 300 Pokemon/forms sounds massive, the insider claimed to have independently verified the information with multiple sources, and each of them have heard similar things about the high Pokemon count. As such, they fould the leak to be credible and very likely to be real.
The Pokemon Company officially announced Pokemon Winds and Waves during the 30th anniversary Pokemon Presents broadcast on February 27, 2026. The new titles are scheduled to launch in 2027 exclusively for Nintendo Switch 2. Set in a tropical archipelago inspired by Southeast Asia, Winds and Waves take players on a journey across a chain of islands.
