The Pokémon Company was jointly established in 1998.
Nintendo, Creatures, and Game Freak established the company to manage Pokémon licensing, production, publishing, marketing, and related business activities. The arrangement brought the principal companies behind the games and their wider media ecosystem into a coordinated organization.
Pokémon began as Game Freak’s video-game concept and was published by Nintendo, while Creatures contributed important development and production work. As the franchise expanded into animation, cards, films, toys, and international licensing, a dedicated company became increasingly useful for coordinating the brand.
The Pokémon Company should not be confused with The Pokémon Company International. The international subsidiary was created later to handle operations outside Asia. Nintendo, Creatures, and Game Freak remain the parent companies associated with The Pokémon Company, while the franchise itself began with the 1996 Japanese Game Boy releases.