Pokémon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl are not being developed by Game Freak, but rather by a separate developer: ILCA. This isn't the first Pokémon game that Game Freak hasn't developed, but it seems unusual that it is handing the reigns of such a high-profile release to a third party. For those unfamiliar with ILCA's track record, this might even seem like a bad idea, destined for disaster.
However, ILCA -- short for "I Love Computer Art" -- has a storied and fascinating history as a developer. Based out of Tokyo, the developer has been involved with several high-profile games over the years.
ILCA's History as a Company
Founded in 2010 as a CG-based video production studio, ILCA started life focused on animation before moving on to developing games. Among its early work included providing CG Production work for Square-Enix's Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV feature film. It was also involved in anime productions such as Dream Festival!, Chō Soku Henkei Gyrozetter and Yamishibai: Japanese Ghost Stories.
ILCA would soon move onto VR Experiences, applications and (most notably) games. Among its two most noteworthy games before working with Game Freak were two high-profile Square-Enix games: NieR Automata and Dragon Quest XI. While not the primary developers on either project, ILCA did work heavily on each game and were integral to their success. Other games the studio worked on include Metal Gear Solid: Revengeance and Yakuza 0.
This prior experience with massive development teams proved that ILCA had what it takes to handle full-blown games without taking on the full burden of the game's success or failure. The studio gradually grew, eventually gaining over 200 employees to handle its increasing workload. With all the new work, it seemed inevitable that ILCA would gain higher-profile projects created entirely without support from other developers. Game Freak, it turned out, offered ILCA that opportunity.
ILCA's History with Pokémon
ILCA has actually worked with Pokémon and Game Freak before being announced as the developers behind Pokémon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl. It was previously tasked with developing Pokémon Home -- a cloud-based storage application used by Pokémon players to house their lovable Pocket Monsters across games.
However, despite its decade-long history in the animation and game development industry, Pokémon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl is one of ILCA's highest-profile works since it will be handling all the core elements of development. Despite its fascinating history with prior game development, some might look at its history and question if it has have had enough experience developing games. There is no doubt ILCA's work on CG production is prolific, but are they good at game programming?
While Game Freak has developed previous remakes, the company has focused its efforts on Pokémon Legends: Arceus, which means that Pokémon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl needs another team to bring it to life. ILCA is not some greenhorn company without any experience. Game Freak has deemed its prior work proof enough of their abilities.
While the game is a relatively straight-forward remake, it could be the launching pad ILCA needs to produce even more high-quality games. The training wheels are off. While ILCA's prior successes have been as part of a greater team, now all the responsibility falls on this developer's shoulders.