Detective Pikachu Game Uses Facial Capture To Animate Facial Expressions

We all know Detective Pikachu is going to be the first Pokemon game with voice over, however, did you know it is also going to be the first Pokemon game to use facial capture to animate the character’s faces.

In an interview with USGamer, Detective Pikachu producer, Hiroyuki Jinnai talked about his experience with voice over and facial capture, both which were quite new to them. In fact, they decided to release the game in Japan first to test the waters for an eventual Western release.

“This kind of project, where we used voice recording and facial capture, was really kind of a first for us. Seeing whether we could combine it into a game was compelling was a test for us. So we decided we wanted to release this smaller piece in Japan first to see if it would become a compelling product. It was kind of a trial for us.”

You can read the full interview from USgamer here.