The Pokémon Company

Who owns The Pokémon Company?
The Pokémon Company is owned by three partner companies through a joint venture structure: Nintendo, Creatures Inc., and Game Freak. Nintendo is reported to hold approximately 32 percent ownership. No single partner has majority control. Nintendo also holds minority stakes in both Creatures Inc. and Game Freak, further aligning the partners' interests.

Is The Pokémon Company publicly traded?
No, The Pokémon Company is not publicly traded. It operates as a privately held joint venture between three companies. However, the company is required to publish certain financial results in the Japanese government gazette (Kanpo) due to its size, which is how its record FY2026 financials became public.

What is The Pokémon Company's revenue?
For the fiscal year ended February 28, 2026, The Pokémon Company reported net sales of 531.4 billion yen (approximately $3.3 billion), operating profit of 144 billion yen (approximately $900 million), and net profit of 120 billion yen (approximately $750 million). All three figures were record highs, with net profit increasing 70.7 percent year-over-year.

When was The Pokémon Company founded?
The Pokémon Company was founded in April 1998 as Pokémon Center Co., Ltd., initially to operate Pokémon Center retail stores in Japan. The company expanded its mission in October 2000 to cover the entire Pokémon franchise and rebranded to The Pokémon Company.

Who is the CEO of The Pokémon Company?
Tsunekazu Ishihara has served as President and CEO of The Pokémon Company since its founding in 1998. He previously worked at Creatures Inc. and was instrumental in establishing the joint venture structure between Nintendo, Creatures Inc., and Game Freak.

What are The Pokémon Company's most successful products?
The Pokémon franchise's most successful products include the mainline video game series (over 480 million units sold lifetime), the Pokémon Trading Card Game (the best-selling TCG globally), Pokémon GO (over $6 billion in lifetime revenue), Pokémon TCG Pocket (200 million downloads), and Pokémon Sleep ($234.9 million in three years). Pokémon Legends: Z-A, released in October 2025, sold over 12.79 million units combined.

Where is The Pokémon Company headquartered?
The Pokémon Company is headquartered in Roppongi Hills Mori Tower in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. The company's international subsidiary, The Pokémon Company International, is headquartered in Bellevue, Washington, USA, and handles operations outside Asia.

What is the highest-grossing media franchise?
Pokémon is widely recognized as the highest-grossing media franchise in history, with estimated cumulative revenue exceeding $150 billion across all product categories since 1996. This includes video games, trading cards, merchandise, anime, films, and mobile apps.

The Pokémon Company was established in April 1998 as Pokémon Center Co., Ltd. through joint investment by Nintendo, Creatures Inc., and Game Freak. The initial purpose was to operate the Pokémon Center retail stores in Japan, which sold merchandise and served as dedicated retail destinations for Pokémon fans. The first Pokémon Center opened in Tokyo in 1998.

In October 2000, the company expanded its mission to cover the entire Pokémon franchise and rebranded to The Pokémon Company. This expansion reflected the growing complexity and global reach of the franchise, which had already expanded beyond video games to include trading cards, anime, films, and extensive merchandise licensing. The original Pokémon Red and Green games, developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo, had launched in 1996 and become a cultural phenomenon in Japan.

The franchise's global breakthrough came in 1998 and 1999, when Pokémon Red and Blue launched in North America and Europe, accompanied by the anime television series and the trading card game. The Pokémon Company coordinated the rollout of these products across markets, ensuring brand consistency while adapting to local market conditions.

Throughout the 2000s, The Pokémon Company established subsidiaries to manage different geographic markets. The Pokémon Company International was formed to handle operations outside Asia, with headquarters in Bellevue, Washington. Additional subsidiaries were created for specific markets including Korea, Singapore, and Taiwan. Each subsidiary handles localization, marketing, and distribution for its region.

The 2010s brought significant digital expansion. Pokémon GO, developed by Niantic in collaboration with The Pokémon Company and Nintendo, launched in July 2016 and became a global phenomenon, generating over $1 billion in revenue in its first year. The game demonstrated the franchise's ability to extend into new formats and reach audiences beyond traditional video game players.

In November 2019, Pokémon Sword and Shield launched for the Nintendo Switch, marking the first mainline Pokémon RPG on a home console. The games sold over 26 million copies combined, demonstrating the franchise's continued strength on console platforms.

In January 2022, Pokémon Legends: Arceus introduced a new open-world action RPG format for the franchise, selling over 15 million copies. This format proved influential, as the sequel, Pokémon Legends: Z-A, launched on October 16, 2025, for both Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2. Pokémon Legends: Z-A sold 8.85 million units on Switch and 3.94 million units of the Switch 2 Edition, contributing significantly to the record FY2026 financial results.

In late 2024, The Pokémon Company launched Pokémon TCG Pocket, a free-to-play mobile version of the trading card game. By mid-2026, the app had surpassed 200 million downloads, making it one of the most successful mobile Pokémon products to date.

In March 2026, Pokémon Pokopia launched for Nintendo Switch 2. The game sold over 4 million copies and received positive reviews. A Nintendo Switch 2 bundle with Pokopia was made available, driving additional hardware sales.

Looking ahead, The Pokémon Company has announced Pokémon Legends: Z-A sequel titles, tentatively referred to as Pokémon Winds and Pokémon Waves, for release in 2027. New trading card expansions and LEGO sets are also planned.

The Pokémon Company has implemented several sustainability and social responsibility initiatives, though the company does not hold independent third-party sustainability certifications such as B Corp status.

In 2023, The Pokémon Company established the Pokémon Sustainability Initiative, focusing on environmental education and conservation programs. The company has partnered with organizations including the World Wildlife Fund and The Ocean Cleanup to promote environmental awareness through Pokémon-themed campaigns.

The Pokémon Company has also addressed concerns about the environmental impact of trading card production. The company has committed to using sustainable paper sources for card packaging and has explored recycled materials for card sleeves and storage products. However, the company has not published specific targets for carbon emissions reduction or net-zero commitments, and its sustainability disclosures are limited compared to publicly traded companies in the entertainment sector.

Ethically, The Pokémon Company has faced questions about the labor practices of its third-party mobile game developers, particularly Niantic and TiMi Studios (a Tencent subsidiary). The company has not publicly disclosed standards or auditing requirements for its development partners' labor practices.

The Pokémon franchise has received numerous awards and recognition over its 30-year history:

• Guinness World Records: Pokémon holds records for the best-selling video game franchise, the best-selling trading card game, and the highest-grossing media franchise of all time
• Game Awards: Pokémon Legends: Arceus was nominated for Best RPG at The Game Awards 2022. Pokémon Scarlet and Violet were among the best-selling games of 2022 and 2023
• Japan Game Awards: Multiple recognitions at the Tokyo Game Show for Pokémon titles, including awards for consumer voting and game design
• Mobile Awards: Pokémon GO has received multiple awards from the Mobile Games Awards and the Webby Awards for innovation in augmented reality gaming

The Pokémon Company has faced several controversies and regulatory issues throughout its history.

In 2020, The Pokémon Company was investigated by the Japan Fair Trade Commission regarding potential antitrust violations in its licensing agreements with mobile game developers. The investigation examined whether the company imposed restrictive terms on developers that limited their ability to work with competing franchises. The outcome of the investigation was not publicly disclosed, but the company reportedly revised some of its licensing terms.

The Pokémon Trading Card Game has faced ongoing issues with scalping and counterfeit products. The surge in card demand since 2020 led to widespread shortages, with retail stores limiting purchases and some retailers discontinuing in-store sales due to safety concerns. The Pokémon Company responded by increasing production capacity and implementing purchase limits on its online store.

Pokémon TCG Pocket, the mobile card game launched in 2024, faced criticism for its gacha-style mechanics and the cost of obtaining rare cards. Players and consumer advocacy groups in Japan and South Korea raised concerns about the game's monetization practices, particularly regarding the odds of obtaining rare cards through paid packs. The company adjusted some mechanics in response to player feedback.

The Pokémon Company was involved in a legal dispute with Pokémon GO developer Niantic regarding revenue sharing terms. The dispute, reported in 2023, was resolved without public disclosure of the terms.

In 2024, a class-action lawsuit was filed in the United States alleging that The Pokémon Company International engaged in deceptive marketing practices related to the rarity and availability of certain trading cards. The case was ongoing as of mid-2026.