Rumor: Pokémon Winds and Waves gets new director, and fans of Scarlet and Violet approve

A fresh leak suggests the upcoming Pokémon Winds and Waves for Switch 2 will have a new lead developer. Insider BallGuy claims Hiroyuki Tani will take the director's seat, with Katsuhiko Ichiraku serving as co-director. That marks a notable shift: for the past decade, Shigeru Ohmori has headed most mainline Pokémon games, including Scarlet and Violet.

Ohmori made his directorial debut in 2014 with the Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire remakes for 3DS and also worked on other Game Freak projects as a producer and map designer. Tani, meanwhile, started in planning roles before directing the Sword & Shield expansion packs. Both candidates, along with Ichiraku, worked on Scarlet and Violet — Ichiraku co-directed the paid expansion The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero.

That expansion, in many players' eyes, turned out better than the base game led by Ohmori. Its more compact areas felt livelier and more eventful, and the storyline was more focused, addressing some of the criticism aimed at the original. Fans now hope the leadership change will also improve the technical state of the new title.

Winds and Waves is expected in 2027. Previous leaks point to a vast open world with plenty of water: players will travel between tropical islands, explore underwater zones, and use a new catching mechanic. Given the scale, optimization will be a key challenge — Scarlet and Violet frequently suffered from frame rate drops that hurt the experience.

Pokémon Legends: Z-A, released on both Switch generations, had few technical issues, but Ohmori served only as producer there, not director. Its urban maps are also far smaller than the settings of the ninth generation or, most likely, the expanses of Winds and Waves. Nintendo has already shown a trailer and screenshots that were received well, but the impact of the leadership shakeup will only become clear after in-depth showcases.