Overview
- In a video message at the New York Game Awards, Tsunekazu Ishihara spoke after Pokémon received the Andrew Yoon Legend Award.
- He said Game Freak spent six years iterating under Game Boy–era constraints to turn a catch-and-trade concept into the first games.
- The team grounded design in familiar childhood activities, shaping the enduring loop of catching, raising, trading, and battling.
- Ishihara recalled early doubts about overseas appeal but now says Pokémon has the power to connect the world, a belief guiding the next game’s production.
- With the 30th anniversary on February 27, 2026, coverage notes celebrations are approaching, and no new mainline game details were announced.