Pokémon’s familiar turn-based combat may not be permanent. Comments from Game Freak suggest the series is exploring ways to preserve classic battles while preparing for a possible future beyond the 30-year-old formula.
Why Pokémon Champions exists
In a recent talk, battle director Shigeki Morimoto and Pokémon Champions director Kazumasa Iwao discussed the reason for creating the competitive battle simulator. Iwao explained that the series’ long-running battle rules could gradually change as future games evolve.
He also acknowledged the players who have been with the franchise since Red and Green, or Gold and Silver. For that audience, replacing the traditional system outright would risk losing an important part of Pokémon’s identity. Champions was therefore designed to keep that style of battling available, even if the main series eventually moves in another direction.
Legends has already challenged the formula
Game Freak has spent the past few years testing a different combat structure in its spin-offs. Pokémon Legends: Arceus and Pokémon Legends: Z-A use real-time encounters, with players choosing attacks that enter cooldown rather than selecting every move within a conventional turn order.
The mainline games have remained turn-based, with 2022’s Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet representing the latest examples. That distinction may not last forever, although any change appears more likely to be gradual than an immediate replacement.
What may be next for the main series?
Pokémon Winds and Waves are the next mainline instalments. Game Freak has not confirmed whether those games will use turn-based or real-time battles. Leaks from 2024 have claimed that the pair will retain turn-based combat, but may borrow several ideas from the Legends titles.
Earlier this year, reported leak details suggested that battles could become much more dynamic. Rather than limiting encounters to singles or doubles, opposing teams may be able to change during a fight, with extra Pokémon joining the action. An alleged image even depicted a trainer facing nine Charizards.
The same reports claim the games could add more than 300 new Pokémon, which would be close to twice the franchise’s previous record for new creatures in one release.
Champions offers a separate competitive path
Pokémon Champions launched in April as a free-to-play player-versus-player battle simulator. Players assemble teams and compete online, but the game initially received a mixed response because it included only a limited selection of Pokémon.
That restriction eventually became part of its appeal. Instead of reproducing the established Scarlet and Violet competitive metagame, Champions asks players to build unfamiliar teams and learn a different environment. Its relatively forgiving monetisation also makes it reasonably straightforward to earn the in-game currency required to create and train teams.
For players interested in the wider competitive scene, it functions as an accessible starting point rather than attempting to contain the entire Pokémon catalogue. Fans can also follow more gaming updates through the RETROCADE Arcade Blog and explore the latest arcade videos.
Traditional battles are not disappearing yet
Morimoto and Iwao’s comments are unlikely to reassure everyone. Many players enjoy Pokémon specifically because battles are turn-based, while having little interest in online competition or highly optimised match-ups.
The mainline series is expected to keep its established battle structure in the short term. The longer-term message, however, is clear: Game Freak is considering how Pokémon combat should develop, and Pokémon Champions may be the way it protects the classic approach for players who want it to remain.
That balance between familiar rules and experimental systems is a challenge shared by many arcade and gaming communities. For advice on choosing a home setup for classic multiplayer experiences, see RETROCADE’s Arcade Machine Buying Guide.
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