James Turner Joins The Pokémon Company as Creative Director of Pokémon Art and Design
A familiar name from Pokémon’s development history has returned to the franchise.
James Turner, the former Game Freak art director behind Pokémon Sword and Shield, has announced that he has joined The Pokémon Company International as its new Creative Director of Pokémon Art and Design.
Turner revealed the news on social media, saying that he had started his new role at The Pokémon Company International. While he has not yet explained exactly what projects he will be working on, the position places him in a very interesting role overseeing Pokémon’s art and design.
And if you’re sitting there thinking “Who is James Turner?”, you’re definitely not alone. But you’ve almost certainly seen his work if you’ve been playing Pokémon for the last couple of decades.
James Turner Has Been Designing Pokémon for Years
Turner’s Pokémon career goes back much further than Pokémon Sword and Shield.
Before joining Game Freak, Turner worked at Genius Sonority, where he contributed to games including Pokémon Colosseum, Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness and Pokémon Battle Revolution.
One of his earliest major contributions was Shadow Lugia from Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness. Turner worked from initial sketches to finalise the design of the corrupted Legendary Pokémon.
He later joined Game Freak and became the first Westerner to officially design Pokémon, according to Bulbapedia’s documented history of his work.
So Which Pokémon Did He Actually Design?
Quite a few!
Turner has been responsible for, or contributed to, a surprisingly large number of Pokémon designs across several generations.
Some of the most notable include:
Generation V
- Vanillite
- Vanillish
- Vanilluxe
- Golett
- Golurk
- Vullaby
- Mandibuzz
These Pokémon were introduced in Pokémon Black and White, and Turner has discussed his design work from this era, including demonstrating his process for drawing Vanillite.
Generation VI
- Phantump
- Trevenant
Turner has previously explained that the idea for Phantump’s family originated from a ghostly tree concept he created during his Game Freak interview process.
Generation VII
Turner’s designs became particularly memorable during the Alola era, where he worked on:
- Bruxish
- Buzzwole
- Guzzlord
- Poipole
- Naganadel
Buzzwole and Guzzlord in particular have some very distinctive designs, fitting the strange and otherworldly Ultra Beasts.
And Then Came Pokémon Sword and Shield
Turner became the Art Director for Pokémon Sword and Shield, where he was responsible for helping establish the overall visual direction of the games.
His own portfolio explains that he directed the art team and helped define the game’s overall look. He also produced concept artwork during development, including environments and promotional artwork.
He also designed a number of Pokémon and regional forms associated with the Galar era.
These include:
- Galarian Zigzagoon
- Galarian Linoone
- Obstagoon
- Sizzlipede
- Centiskorch
- Gigantamax Centiskorch
- Sinistea
- Polteageist
- Gigantamax Pikachu
- Gigantamax Gengar
Turner personally confirmed his work on the Galarian Zigzagoon evolutionary line, including the punk-rock-inspired Obstagoon.
And yes, the giant, chubby-looking Gigantamax Pikachu was also designed by Turner.
So if you loved the return of the big round Pikachu in Sword and Shield, you’ve got James Turner to thank for it!
He Also Worked on Pokémon Scarlet and Violet
Although Turner left Game Freak in 2022, he didn’t completely disappear from Pokémon development.
He has been credited with Pokémon and character design work on Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, and later personally revealed some of the Pokémon he designed.
One of the most recognisable examples is Tatsugiri.
Turner confirmed that he designed the tiny sushi-like Dragon/Water-type Pokémon and all three of its forms: Curly, Droopy and Stretchy.
He also designed Dondozo, the enormous catfish Pokémon that has a unique relationship with Tatsugiri during battles. Turner also selected the shiny colours for these designs.
So yes — Tatsugiri and Dondozo are James Turner Pokémon.
He Left Game Freak to Make His Own Game
After around a decade at Game Freak, Turner announced in 2022 that he was leaving the company to establish his own studio, All Possible Futures.
The studio went on to release The Plucky Squire in 2024, a game that became known for its distinctive visual style, moving between 2D illustrated worlds and 3D environments.
Turner served as director on the project.
So his return to Pokémon is particularly interesting because he is coming back after several years of working outside Game Freak and developing his own creative projects.
What Does His New Role Mean for Pokémon?
This is the part that has fans particularly interested.
Turner’s new title is:
Creative Director of Pokémon Art and Design
The Pokémon Company has not yet explained exactly what his responsibilities will include.
That means we shouldn’t assume that Turner is now personally designing every new Pokémon or that he has become the sole person responsible for the franchise’s visual direction.
However, given his history, it is certainly possible that his role will involve a significant amount of oversight concerning Pokémon’s artwork, visual identity and character or Pokémon design.
And that’s a pretty exciting prospect.
Turner has already worked across multiple generations of Pokémon, from Shadow Lugia and Generation V through to Galar and Paldea, and has experience both designing individual Pokémon and directing the overall artistic style of an entire Pokémon game.
