Here is a little insight at the development of Black/White between Junichi Masuda and Ken Sugimori:
- number 1 focus with these titles was to create new Pokemon
- both were worried that Black/White would be viewed as the same thing as Diamond/Pearl, which is why they set out to radically change things
- some of the suggestions for changing the series that Masuda made were so shocking that the team didn't think they would work
- Masuda wanted to take the known and expected features of the Pokemon series and break them
- Sugimori's reaction to Masuda's plans for change: “Don’t give me so much work…”
- with these titles, Masuda took on the role of the “idea man,” while Sugimori was the “damper,” to prevent Masuda from going too far
- Masuda brought about a bunch of changes in very rapid succession
- Sugimori described this situation as a truck where Masuda was the driver. Masuda was always pressing down on the gas, going forward. Sugimori was in charge of the brakes.
- much greater changes than any other Pokemon title
- a 200-page draft document with all the new ideas for this game does exist
- Sugimori read every page, and picked it apart sentence by sentence, “What do you mean by ‘crossing the bridge?” or “How would you ‘take part in other people's games?”
- Masuda's big changes and Sugimori's conservative nature lead to a game that has some radical changes, but still retains the Pokemon feel
