Pokémon Company clarifies roles

The Pokémon Company has moved to spell out who does what in Pokémon: Nintendo handles manufacturing and sales, while Game Freak plans and develops the games. (x.com) The clarification came in an official statement posted on X, where the company said it wanted to address confusion about the franchise’s production chain. The note focused on the division of work around the video games rather than the wider business. (x.com) That distinction lands after a stretch of new Pokémon releases across Nintendo hardware, including *Pokémon Legends: Z-A* on October 16, 2025 for Nintendo Switch 2 and Nintendo Switch, and *Pokémon Champions* on April 8, 2026 for Nintendo Switch, with mobile to follow later in 2026. (press.pokemon.com, press.pokemon.com) The Pokémon business has long been easy to misread because the brand spans games, cards, animation, apps, stores, and licensing, while multiple companies share responsibility behind the scenes. Nintendo publishes Pokémon games on its platforms, but Game Freak remains the studio that develops the main role-playing entries. (polygon.com, press.pokemon.com) The ownership structure adds another layer. Nintendo said in an investor notice that it owns 32% of the voting power of The Pokémon Company, which it accounts for as an affiliated company rather than a wholly owned subsidiary. (nintendo.co.jp) The Pokémon Company itself was set up in 1998 by Nintendo, Game Freak, and Creatures, first as Pokémon Center Co. to manage stores before expanding to oversee the broader franchise in 2000. Since then it has become the hub for brand management, licensing, and marketing across the series. (polygon.com, bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net) Recent Pokémon announcements still show that split in practice. Press materials for *Pokémon Champions* and *Pokémon Legends: Z-A* were issued by The Pokémon Company International, while the games were announced for Nintendo systems and sold through Nintendo’s eShop. (press.pokemon.com, press.pokemon.com) The new statement does not change who owns Pokémon or who publishes its games. It puts a simpler label on an arrangement that has existed for years: Nintendo moves the product, and Game Freak makes the main games. (x.com, polygon.com)