Pokemon X and Y’s Player Search System announced, allows for easier multiplayer

Pokemon X and Y will feature a “Player Search System” to aid in communication with your fellow players, Junichi Masuda, Director of Game Freak, announced during an E3 2013 developer roundtable today.

Player Search System occupies the bottom screen, where other players’ characters will appear in icon forms. It will allow for both local and Wi-Fi modes, which players can switch between at the press of a button. By choosing a player from the menu, you’ll be given the opportunity to battle, connect and trade with that player.

Players you can connect with move up through three tiers: First, the game randomly generates a list of users currently playing Pokemon X and Y, which the game calls Passersby. After choosing one of these players and playing with them, they become Acquaintances. After playing enough with an Acquaintance, they are registered as Friends. You can also select any player as a “Favorite” to more easily find them and play at your leisure.

The functionality is designed to help players get into multiplayer, even when they don’t live in urban environments where local play is more frequent.

The titles will also allow players to switch the game’s language between seven options, including English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Japanese and Korean — the title is coming to Korea at the same time as the other territories, Masuda revealed.

Update: In a post-show Q&A, Masuda explained that players who are already registered on your Nintendo 3DS friend list will automatically show up in the in-game Friend list.