The Pokemon Company International has appointed series veteran James Turner as the new creative director of Pokemon art and design.
Turner shared the news on Twitter. “It feels great to be working in the world of Pokémon again, with a lovely group of people,” he says. “I’m very excited about what comes next!”
Though Turner is most recently known for indie hit The Plucky Squire, made by All Possible Futures, a studio which Turner co-led, his history with Pokemon goes back generations.
Per Bulbapedia (and Mobygames credits), Turner worked with Game Freak on multiple Pokemon games dating back to Pokemon Black and White. Not only that, he directed Tembo the Badass Elephant, one of the stranger non-Pokemon games to come from the studio.
Game Freak only recently released Beast of Reincarnation, an action RPG with a more realistic art style. Our Beast of Reincarnation review praises its combat and, very appropriately for the Pokemon studio, its big ol’ dog.
Turner was credited as a Pokemon character designer on Pokemon Black and White, X and Y, Sun and Moon, and Sword and Shield. He was also art director on Sword and Shield, and has dabbled in digital movie and effect design as well as 3D map graphics for the series.
Turner’s earliest Pokemon credit was 2003’s Pokemon Colosseum, for which he handled camera animation and contributed some special effects. You’ll also find a few Pokemon cards under his name on The Art of Pokemon.
Our The Plucky Squire review had high praise for All Possible Futures’ 2D-meets-3D puzzle adventure. It sees storybook characters explore the world outside their pages, and was a high point for publisher Devolver Digital in 2024. Its art style, which used segmented lines and delivered a charming, illustrated look, is a recurring point of praise across its reviews.