Pokémon Winds and Waves Leak Suggests Gen 10 Is Led by Developers Behind Scarlet and Violet DLC

Pokémon Winds and Waves could be heading in a different creative direction if a new leak about Game Freak’s development team proves accurate. According to Pokémon leaker BallGuy, Game Freak veterans Hiroyuki Tani and Katsuhiko Ichiraku are reportedly directing and co-directing the upcoming Gen 10 games.

The claim is significant because the pair have previously worked on major Pokémon content, including downloadable expansions for Pokémon Sword and Shield and Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. However, neither Game Freak nor The Pokémon Company has officially confirmed the reported director roles, meaning the information should currently be treated as a leak rather than established fact.

Winds and Waves Could Have a Different Creative Direction

Shigeru Ohmori has been one of the most prominent creative figures behind the mainline Pokémon series for years. The new report suggests that Winds and Waves could instead place Tani and Ichiraku in leading development positions, although it does not establish that Ohmori has completely left the project.

Both developers have experience with Pokémon DLC, which could be particularly relevant for a game that is officially described as an open-world adventure across windswept islands and a large ocean. The official Pokémon Winds and Waves website confirms that the two games will launch exclusively on Nintendo Switch 2 in 2027.

The pair’s reported involvement has generated interest because downloadable content for previous games allowed Game Freak to experiment with additional exploration and storytelling. The Crown Tundra expanded Sword and Shield with a larger area focused heavily on exploration, while The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero for Scarlet and Violet introduced new locations and storylines.

The reported director change is only one part of a larger collection of Winds and Waves rumors circulating online. Previous leaks have claimed that Game Freak is experimenting with new Pokémon mechanics, including rumored “Seed” Pokémon whose development could be affected by environmental factors such as weather and how players raise them.

Other unverified reports have suggested that the games could introduce a much larger number of new Pokémon than previous generations. However, these details have not been confirmed by Game Freak or The Pokémon Company.

For now, the officially confirmed information is considerably more limited. Pokémon Winds and Pokémon Waves are planned as Nintendo Switch 2-exclusive RPGs launching worldwide in 2027, with an open-world setting featuring islands, oceans and Pokémon adapted to the region’s ecosystems.