Pokken Tournament came about thanks to an idea from Pokemon president Tsunekazu Ishihara

Bandai Namco’s Katsuhiro Harada briefly touched on Pokken Tournament’s origins while speaking with Polygon. When Bandai Namco met with Pokemon Company president Tsunekazu Ishihara about licensing music for Taiko Drum Master, Ishihara surprised them with an idea for a game similar to Tekken. Harada says he is spending a lot of time on Pokken Tournament since it’s the first title in a potential new franchise and because the team has less experience than the group behind Tekken.

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