While Pokémon developer Game Freak’s most recent showing—Beast of Reincarnation—looked quite impressive, questioning the studio’s capabilities in terms of visual fidelity and frame rate optimization still feels natural considering the last few mainline Pokémon releases on the Nintendo Switch. Keeping this in mind, game director Kota Furushima has said that the studio is working to make sure that its ambitions with regards to gameplay, visuals and even bug fixing and optimizations are met. In a statement to IGN, he said that the main focus is on the gameplay experience.
“I think when it comes to Beast of Reincarnation, and I guess we would regard it as the scale and the ambition of the title, when we approach game design, we’re not looking to make, say, a title of a certain level of quality,” said Furushima ahead of the recent Xbox Developer_Direct 2026.
“We’re looking to deliver a very specific game experience, and visual fidelity and graphics, this is something that supports that game experience, everything that goes into that. That includes things like bug fixing, optimization. Everything is there to serve the gameplay and the experience. Our focus is on that gameplay experience. Part of that, of course, is making sure that it performs really well, but our attention is more on getting the experience over to you and making sure that our vision can get to your hands and your hearts.”
Game Freak has had a tenuous history when it comes to the technical aspects of its Pokémon games, going as far back as Pokémon Sword and Shield on the Nintendo Switch. At the time, many jokes were made with comparisons drawn up between the in-game trees in the Pokémon games and Nintendo 64-era title The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Despite this, however, the studio has still maintained the general quality of gameplay, and the fact that the franchise has continued to sell well further reflects this.
The studio has revealed quite a few details about Beast of Reincarnation during its recent showcase, including its combat systems, characters, world, and story. The studio also revealed that the game’s central motifs will revolve around plants. The protagonist—Emma—is a Sealer, in charge of taking on large beasts corrupted by a parasitic plant-like species known as the Blight, dubbed Malefacts. Accompanying her on this mission is a wolf-like Malefact, named Koo, who can help with taking on the game’s several enemies through its own special abilities. The game takes place in the year 4062 AD, with the world and several of its machines having been consumed by nature’s reclamation.
Gameplay showcased in the deep dive also revealed that Beast of Reincarnation will feature plenty of gameplay options thanks to the ability to unlock new moves for both Emma and Koo through a skill tree, and weapon mods that can change up play style.
Beast of Reincarnation is coming to PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S in Summer 2026. Along with this, PC and Xbox players will also be able to access it through Game Pass from day one of its release.
