James Turner has returned to the Pokémon world.

Turner announced on his X account that he has begun his role as Creative Director of Pokémon Art and Design at The Pokémon Company International (TPCi). "I am delighted to be working with great people in the Pokémon world again," he said. "I am really looking forward to what comes next."

During his tenure at Game Freak, Turner worked on titles including 'Pokémon Black and White', 'Pokémon X and Y', 'Pokémon Sun and Moon', and 'Pokémon Sword and Shield'. He handled character and Pokémon design, as well as digital video and visual effects design, and served as art director for 'Pokémon Sword and Shield', leading the art team and overseeing the overall visual direction of the game.

He is known as the first Westerner to officially design Pokémon. His notable designs include the Vanillite evolution line, Golett and Golurk, Phantump and Trevenant, Buzzwole, Poipole and Naganadel, and Centiskorch.

After leaving Game Freak in 2022, Turner worked at All Possible Futures, a studio he co-founded. He served as co-creative director on 'The Plucky Squire', released in 2024. The game is an action-adventure title where players transition between a 2D world inside a storybook and a 3D space outside of it.

This appointment is with TPCi, rather than Game Freak, the developer of the main-series Pokémon games. TPCi oversees Pokémon brand management, licensing, marketing, the trading card game, and animation outside of Asia. Turner did not disclose the specific scope of his new position or his initial project.