A new leak claims that Pokémon Winds and Waves has changed directors for the Gen 10 games. If accurate, this will be the first new generation of Pokémon titles in a decade not to be directed by Shigeru Ohmori.
Pokémon Gen 10 Reportedly Ends Shigeru Ohmori’s Decade-Long Run
Pokémon Winds and Waves will no longer be directed by Shigeru Ohmori, according to a new leak. If true, this would be a massive shift for the franchise, as Ohmori has directed every new generation of Pokémon games going back to 2016’s Pokémon Sun and Moon.
Ohmori also directed Pokémon Sword and Shield and Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. This means Winds and Waves will reportedly be the first new-generation games in a decade to have different leadership.
According to the leak, Pokémon Winds and Waves will instead be directed by Hiroyuki Tani and Katsuhiko Ichiraku. As far as their experience goes, Tani previously directed the Pokémon Sword and Shield Expansion Pass. Ichiraku was also one of the directors of the recent Pokémon Scarlet and Violet DLC, The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero.
Here is a full list of games the new Pokémon Winds and Waves directors have worked on:
Hiroyuki Tani – Reported Pokémon Winds and Waves Director
- Pokémon Sun and Moon (2016) — Event Planning, Video Direction, and Field System Design
- Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon (2017) — Field System Design Lead and Field Data Design
- Pokémon Sword and Shield (2019) — Field Planning Lead
- Pokémon Sword and Shield Expansion Pass (2020) — Director
- Pokémon Scarlet and Violet (2022) — Planning Section Director and Pokémon AI Planning Lead
Katsuhiko Ichiraku – Reported Pokémon Winds and Waves Co-Director
- Pokémon Black and White (2010) — Special Thanks
- Pokémon Black 2 and White 2 (2012) — Programming
- Pokémon X and Y (2013) — Network Programming
- Pokémon Sun and Moon (2016) — Network Programming
- Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon (2017) — Communication Features UI Programming Lead
- Pokémon Sword and Shield (2019) — Network Programming Lead and Pokémon Camp Programming Lead
- Pokémon Scarlet and Violet (2022) — Game Programming and UI Section Director
- Pokémon Scarlet and Violet: The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero (2023) — Director and Game Programming Team Lead
- Pokémon Legends: Z-A (2025) — Producer and Pokémon Series QA Group Manager
Pokémon Gen 11 Is Reportedly Already in Development
According to the same insider who leaked the Pokémon Winds and Waves directors, Shigeru Ohmori is now directing the Pokémon Gen 11 games. Yeah, Winds and Waves isn’t even out yet, and we are already getting leaks about the eleventh-generation titles.
While Ohmori has allegedly stepped away from the Gen 10 games, he is reportedly already hard at work developing the next titles after them. This could explain why Game Freak has handed Pokémon Winds and Waves over to two new directors.
Interestingly, when Pokémon Winds and Waves originally leaked more than a year before its announcement, Ohmori was listed as the games’ director. It’s currently unclear whether he originally directed Winds and Waves before moving onto Gen 11 or whether that part of the initial leak was simply incorrect.
Given that many of the original Pokémon Winds and Waves leaks were later proven legitimate, the discrepancy is definitely curious. However, Game Freak and The Pokémon Company have not officially confirmed the new directors or Ohmori’s reported involvement with Gen 11 at the time of writing.
Regardless, it appears that Pokémon Winds and Waves could mark a major leadership change for the franchise. Not only will Gen 10 reportedly have new directors for the first time in a decade, but Ohmori may already be preparing the next generation that will follow it.