New Video Series Showcases Rare Behind-The-Scenes Pokemon Development Footage
Even 30 years in, the development process behind new Pokemon games remains largely a mystery. Game Freak doesn’t often show off its work in progress or even announce new projects until quite late in the game. That means that, aside from leaks, fans rarely get to see much behind-the-scenes footage from the world of Pokemon. That’s part of why the newly unearthed documentary about the making of Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire was such a delightful discovery. But the latest look at Game Freak’s development process comes via the developers themselves, in a new Game Freak Secret Base video on YouTube.
Game Freak recently revived its dormant YouTube channel, which very rarely shares new videos. In a surprise return to sharing new content, the company recently announced that its Secret Base series is coming back for a limited one-month run. This series digs into the kind of behind-the-scenes development details Game Freak seldom shares. So far, the company has confirmed which games will feature in the monthlong run. However, the first video focuses on the hit spin-off Pokemon Pokopia, digging into the game’s early development period before Koei Tecmo came on board.
New Secret Base Series Digs into Behind-The-Scenes Pokemon Footage
Thus far, the Game Freak Secret Base videos have only been shared on the Japanese YouTube channel. However, English-speaking Pokemon fans like me can get the gist via YouTube’s auto-dub feature. The first video is roughly 11 minutes long and details the very early concept phase for Pokemon Pokopia. It’s narrated by Shigeru Ohmori, the game’s concept and senior director. In it, he digs into why the team chose Ditto as its protagonist and how he came up with the concept of Pokemon’s first life sim.
Along with Ohmori’s narration, the video showcases some never-before-seen concept art for Pokemon Pokopia. This includes an early look at the Ditto protagonist. There’s even footage of the game’s early prototype, which plays on the screen while Ohmori discusses those early days. Apparently, the Game Freak team that built the initial concept for the wildly popular spin-off consisted of just 3 people! But after the team decided to go forward with the project, they needed more hands. That’s how Koei Tecmo came on board to help bring Pokopia to life. You can check out this first deep-dive video for Pokemon Pokopia below:
Since the video is titled “Part 1,” it’s likely that we’ll hear more of the story as part of the Secret Base series. However, the monthlong run on YouTube could potentially expand to cover the development of other Pokemon games, as well. The description for the series introduction video tells fans to “expect tons of exclusive development stories.” That suggests we could get some behind-the-scenes looks at the making of other Pokemon games before Game Freak puts the Secret Base series back in the vault. The most likely candidate here is probably Scarlet and Violet, or perhaps Legends: Z-A, but we’ll just have to wait and see.
This series is aptly timed, returning just ahead of Pokemon’s annual World Championships later this month. The 2026 World Championships take place in San Francisco, California from August 28th to 30th. The competition will be held alongside the first-ever official Pokemon fan convention, Pokemon XP. Now, fans can get even more excited for the big event by learning about the development of some of our favorite Pokemon games. With any luck, the series will show off more never-before-seen development footage from Pokemon history.