Pokémon developer Game Freak has teamed up with Western publisher Take-Two Interactive for a brand new, original action-adventure game titled Project Bloom. The new game will be published by Take Two’s Private Division label and will be “bold and tonally different” from Game Freak’s other work, the developer says.
Game Freak and Private Division released a piece of concept artwork from Project Bloomwhich was illustrated by artist Kazuma Koda, known for his work on games like Nier: Automata, bayonet 2, Pokémon: Let’s go, Pikachu!, And Fire emblem: three houses. The artwork depicts a lone warrior standing in a swampy forest. The warrior appears to be wearing traditional Japanese clothing, including a straw or bamboo hat, and is armed with a sword. In their immediate vicinity, a wave of spores or fireflies – both of which can refer to the project name – seem to be sweeping through.
Project Bloom is scheduled for release sometime during Take-Two Interactive’s fiscal year 2026, which runs from April 1, 2025 to March 31, 2026.
“We’re thrilled to be given the opportunity to create new IP that is bold and tonally different from our previous work,” said Kota Furushima, director of Game Freak, in a press release. “From the start, Private Division was the publisher we wanted to work with on our new game. Their track record and global expertise give us every confidence to create a compelling new action-adventure game that we look forward to sharing more about in the future.”
“We are ready to help Game Freak unleash their potential and we are honored to be the first western publisher to partner with this exceptionally talented and proven team to bring a bold new IP to market,” added Michael Worosz , chief strategy officer at Take-Two Interactive and head of the Private Division.
Best known for his work on Pokémon, Game Freak has developed dozens of Pokémon games for The Pokémon Company and Nintendo over the past three decades. Game Freak has also worked with Nintendo and other publishers on original games such as Drill bulldozer, HarmoKnight, Tembo the tough elephantAnd Pocket Card Jockey.
Private Division was founded in 2017 and has games like The outside worlds, Kerbal Space Program 2, OlliOlli World, RollerdromeAnd Hades from different developers. In 2022, Private Division announced it will publish games from studios Die Gute Fabrik, Evening Star, Piccolo Studio and Yellow Brick Games, and is working with Wētā Workshop on a new Lord of the Rings game set in Middle-earth .