The Pokémon Company was established in 1998 to manage licensing, merchandising, marketing, and other franchise activities.
Before that structure existed, Pokémon involved several key companies, including Nintendo, Game Freak, and Creatures. The franchise had expanded rapidly after the 1996 game launch, adding an animated series, trading cards, manga, films, and merchandise.
The company was originally known as Pokémon Center Company and later adopted The Pokémon Company name. Its creation gave the growing property a dedicated organization for coordinating business operations across its many forms of media.
Nintendo, Game Freak, and Creatures remain central to Pokémon’s ownership and production history, but The Pokémon Company is not simply another name for Nintendo. The Pokémon Company International handles much of the brand’s business outside Asia, while the Japanese company oversees the broader global franchise.