Junichi Masuda was publicly identified as the director of Pokémon X and Y in 2013. A later report says leaked Game Freak documents described a decision that he would no longer direct after an argument during the games’ development—but the reviewed public sources do not independently confirm a formal ban or when it took effect.
What Masuda’s 2013 record says
In a January 2013 post on the Game Freak blog, Masuda wrote, “I’m directing the game, and leading the talented team here at Game Freak.” A September 2013 Nintendo Life interview also introduced him as the director of X and Y. These contemporary sources establish his role on that game; they do not establish that a ban was announced that year.
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How his role changed on later games
Subsequent interviews document a different division of responsibilities. For Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, a 2014 Game Informer interview identified Masuda as producer and Shigeru Ohmori as director.
In a 2016 TIME interview about Pokémon Sun and Moon, Masuda said, “At the same time I’m a producer now.” Ohmori described moving from directing Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire to directing Sun and Moon. This documents a producer/director split on those later titles, but does not explain why the roles changed.
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What the reported ban claim rests on
On October 14, 2025, Nintendo Everything reported that leaked Game Freak documents described an argument between Masuda and character designer Ken Sugimori during X and Y development, followed by a decision that Masuda would no longer direct.
That account is secondary reporting about leaked materials. The public sources cited here do not independently authenticate the documents or confirm the alleged decision’s exact date, decision-maker, scope, or formal status. The fact that Ohmori directed later games while Masuda produced them supports a visible change in credits; it is not, by itself, proof of a company-wide ban.
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What can be stated confidently
- Masuda was publicly credited as director of X and Y in 2013.
- Later interviews identify him as producer and Ohmori as director on Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire and Sun and Moon.
- A 2025 report attributes the alleged reason for the change to leaked documents, but the reviewed public evidence does not verify a formal 2013 ban.
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