“Can we keep designing pokémon forever? Yes, in a way,” said Game Freak director Junichi Masuda. “Because I come to Europe and they have different goats or different cows, and they have very different species that aesthetically look different; they live in different places. And I enjoy that diversity, its fun and it’s important to have that sort of diversity in Pokémon. In Japan there are a multitude of different bugs and things, and these things have always been an inspiration.”
Game Freak graphic designer Takao Unno also offered his thoughts on the subject.
“Influences for the design of pokémon are everywhere. I look at living things but I look at the design of anything and think, ‘Why is that?’ ‘Why is that designed that way?’ And then sometimes I’m thinking about that and maybe an idea is compatible with my line of thinking for a certain pokémon. And that’s how pokémon are designed. Points of inspiration and influence never really stop.”
At the time of writing there are 649 different pokémon.
