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Beast of Reincarnation Development Comes With a Twist
The mystery surrounding Beast of Reincarnation continues to unravel. As detailed during the recent Xbox Developer Direct, the game immediately stood out as a dramatic departure for Game Freak, a studio long associated almost exclusively with the Pokémon franchise.
From its darker tone to its mechanically dense action RPG systems, Beast of Reincarnation quickly became a talking point across the industry. That contrast also raised questions about how such a project was being produced behind the scenes. It now appears the answer involves far more than Game Freak’s internal staff alone.
Outsourcing Plays a Central Role in Development
In a recent interview with IGN, Game Director Kota Furushima confirmed that Beast of Reincarnation is being developed with extensive outsourcing support. When asked whether Game Freak had significantly expanded its internal workforce for the project, Furushima clarified that the studio instead relied heavily on external partners.
While specific numbers were not disclosed, Furushima noted that the combined efforts of internal developers and outsourced teams have resulted in a fairly large overall development team. According to him, the key factor was not size, but capability, ensuring that partner studios had the technical and creative strength needed to realise the game’s ambitious vision.
This approach marks a notable shift for a studio traditionally known for tightly controlled in-house development.
A Small Core Team Still Leads the Project
Game Freak’s public relations team further clarified that the internal team working on the game is relatively small. However, that core group remains responsible for the game’s creative direction, overall design philosophy, and production management.
In effect, Beast of Reincarnation follows a hub-and-spoke development model. Game Freak defines the creative framework, while external partners provide the scale and specialised expertise required to execute it.
For a project of this scope and genre shift, the structure suggests a deliberate attempt to balance creative control with production flexibility.
A Very Different Kind of Game Freak Title
The new title follows Emma, a woman bound to a mysterious affliction, and her monster dog companion Koo. Unlike traditional single-character action games, its core gameplay loop revolves around managing both characters simultaneously.
Emma’s combat is built around parry timing and close-range swordplay, while Koo is controlled through a command-based system inspired by turn-based RPGs. The game slows time during command input, allowing tactical decisions without breaking combat flow.
Multiple difficulty options are available from the start, including a more accessible Story Mode, reinforcing Game Freak’s stated aim to make the game playable across a wide skill spectrum rather than catering only to hardcore action fans.
Beast of Reincarnation is currently scheduled to launch in Summer 2026. A specific release date has not yet been announced. The game will be available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC, with day one availability confirmed for Game Pass Ultimate.
