More than 1,000 types of Pokemon, appearing all at once is ‘tricky’

It has been confirmed that the new game 'Pokemon Champions' being developed by The Pokemon Company will not support the full Pokemon Pokédex at launch. Producer Masaaki Hoshino said this in a roundtable interview conducted with multiple foreign media outlets.

Producer Hoshino explained, "Pokemon Champions will start with a specific selection of Pokemon," adding, "Having all of the over 1,000 types of Pokemon available from the start can get a bit tricky." It was not clearly stated whether this indicated a technical limitation or a balance problem.

Introduction of seasonal regulation system

Pokémon Champions will operate under a rules system divided into seasons. As each season is renewed, additional Pokémon join the roster. The season cycle and number of additional Pokémon in each season have not yet been confirmed.

Producer Hoshino added, "There may be thousands of species of Pokémon one day," adding, "Having all Pokémon available at the same time in the same environment could become too complicated, so they can be selected according to the season."

Only Mega Evolution will be supported first, Z Technology and Terrastal will be supported later.

At launch, only Mega Evolution is supported as a battle gimmick. Other gimmicks, such as Terrastallization and Z-Moves, may be added in future updates.

Producer Hoshino emphasized that Pokémon Champions was designed as a long-term platform. “It will continue to evolve and ensure that it can be played for a very long time,” he said. He added that new Pokémon and features appearing in the main series in the future will also be reflected in Champions, but they may not be released simultaneously.

The currently released version is still under development, and details regarding roster size and season structure have not been confirmed.