Pokemon X and Y gets multiplayer features and 5 vs. 1 horde battles

Pokemon X and Y will incorporate a "Player Search System" for an easier time seeking out other players in the first 3DS iteration of the long-running role-playing game series.

Junichi Masuda, director of Pokemon developer Game Freak, unveiled the Player Search System during a roundtable session at E3 2013.

The system, which operates both online and locally, features its own three-tier system of filtering and sorting potential opponents: passersby are random players who are currently playing the game, and after bumped up to acquaintance once, they've been either challenged or traded with.

After enough interaction with an acquaintance, they will become an in-game friend, although Pokemon X and Y does allow for manual grouping of players via a favourites menu. Players already on your friends list will automatically be added to the Player Search System as friends, Masuda added.

Elsewhere in the roundtable, Masuda also confirmed that Pokemon X and Y would feature 1 vs. 5 Pokemon horde battles and the option to fight in the skies when using (and battling) certain Pokemon. When fighting in the sky, Masuda adds, the camera angle will adopt a more cinematic look.

Nintendo announced earlier today that Pokemon X and Y would be released for the 3DS on October 12.