Pokémon Developers Announce Unexpected New Game

Published Sep 14, 2026, 10:27 AM EDT

Bruno Yonezawa is a Gaming Senior Writer for Screen Rant. He's been practicing professional journalism for over 10 years, and is also a communications specialist. He's played games all his life and turned that passionate hobby into a passionate career, in an industry where he's worked as a writer, editor, analyst, and more.

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Game Freak, the main development studio behind the Pokémon game series, has just announced an unexpected new game, and it’s not related to the iconic creature-collecting franchise in the slightest. Even though Game Freak is best known for its work on the Nintendo IP, it has been consistently working on other games over the past few decades. Just recently, Game Freak released Beast of Reincarnation, for example, “stretching its legs beyond Pokémon.” It seems like the company will continue to do so, as it has just announced a brand-new game.

Revealed during a special livestream held on the official Game Freak channel on YouTube, as reported by Gamesradar, Ame no Chi Hare Onna is an upcoming game developed at the iconic studio. The upcoming title will be directed and produced by Shigeru Ohmori, who has been the lead director for all the core Pokémon games since Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire. The new game will arrive later this year, but does not yet have a fixed release date beyond the Winter 2026 release window. What’s surprising is what this game is all about.

Ame no Chi Hare Onna is a new mobile game developed by Game Freak in collaboration with Chronogate. The free-to-play title will be released for iOS and Android devices in Japan, and it’s described as a “laundry game.” The new game developed by Game Freak will follow the story of Hare Onna and Kumorin. The latter can obtain powers from the weather and turn it into magic. The curious thing? The upcoming game uses real-life weather data as part of the gameplay experience.

Exactly how this will be applied to the game has yet to be seen in detail, but it will likely revolve around using the weather conditions to affect your laundry duty status. During the livestream, Game Freak showcased the character designs in Ame no Chi Hare Onna and highlighted how it will draw weather forecast information. More information about the new title will be revealed during Tokyo Game Show, which will occur between September 17 and September 21, in Japan – the event will also see the official return of One Piece.

There’s a lot on Game Freak’s plate right now. Apart from the recent release of Beast of Reincarnation, the company is currently working on two known projects. Ame no Chi Hare Onna is arguably a smaller release, but still one that demands development efforts, and it’s happening alongside what will culminate in the release of Pokémon Winds and Waves in 2027. In addition to that, there are also rumors about other Pokémon games coming in the near future.

For example, there have been talks about a Legends-like prequel entry in the Galar region. There have also been reports about Game Freak working on Pokémon Project Seed, a rumored MMORPG spanning across multiple regions in the series. Leaks and rumors should be taken with a grain of salt, but considering everything official, the Pokémon developers at Game Freak seem to have a lot on their hands.