Pokémon developer Game Freak to implement optional 4-day workweek

Game Freak, known as the developer of numerous Pokémon games, has announced its decision to implement an optional 4-day workweek. The Japanese company will allow its employees to take an additional day-off in addition to Saturday and Sunday.

Pokémon Legends: Arceus

According to a press release, the experimental program is aimed at full-time employees who are raising children under elementary school age or who need family care or nursing.

With this new system, people will be able to “more flexibly realize work styles that suit individual circumstances.”

An employee can choose an additional day-off per week on a monthly basis. In this case, they will get a basic salary and a bonus of 80% compared to the normal 5-day workweek system.

“This is in addition to a staggered work system, a paid leave system (on an hourly basis) and the ability to work at home,” Joe Merrick, the founder of the Pokémon fan site Serebii, noted on Twitter.

Several game studios across the globe have already adopted the 4-day workweeks over the last year. The list includes Eidos Montreal, Bugsnax developer Young Horses, and Bandai Namco.