As first spotted by Japanese website
Pokémon Matome, Creatures Inc. has been removed from Game Freak's list of partners, which could mean that upcoming entries in the
Pokémon series will look very different.
For those who don't know, Creatures Inc. has been in charge of making 3D character models of the Pokémon creatures featured in every title in the
Pokémon series; with Creatures Inc. being affiliated with Game Freak and The Pokémon Company since
Pokémon Stadium released all the way back in 1998.
Prior to the release of
Pokémon Stadium and
Pokémn Shield, fans noticed that Game Freak — although, more accurately Creatures Inc. — had been reusing character models from previous
Pokémon titles. Game Freak had previously revealed that the new games would not feature every Pokémon due to all the work that this entailed.
If the developers reused models from previous
Pokémon games, it means that they could've easily added every Pokémon in
Sword & Shield; fans felt betrayed and have complained about Game Freak lying to them, ever since.
The fact that Creatures Inc. is no longer featured on Game Freak's list of partners, could mean that fan outrage had a lot to do with this decision. As of this writing, neither Game Freak nor The Pokémon Company have made any comments on this particular topic.
Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield will be set in Galar, an expansive region with many environments—idyllic countryside, contemporary cities, thick forests, and craggy, snow-covered mountains. The people and Pokémon live together in this region, and they’ve worked together to develop the industries here.
Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield are currently available exclusively for the Nintendo Switch.