What company manages the Pokémon franchise, including its licensing and global brand operations?

The Pokémon Company manages the Pokémon franchise, including licensing and global brand operations.

The organization was established in 1998 as Pokémon Center Co. Ltd. and was restructured and renamed The Pokémon Company in 2000. Its role includes coordinating games, merchandise, licensing, marketing, and other parts of the franchise across different corporate partners.

Nintendo, Game Freak, and Creatures are closely associated with Pokémon and jointly own important interests in the property. Nintendo publishes many games, Game Freak develops the main series, and Creatures has been involved in production and the trading card game. They are not interchangeable names for the management company.

The Pokémon Company International was created in 2009 to manage the brand outside Asia. This structure lets the franchise operate across video games, animation, trading cards, toys, events, and retail while retaining a unified global identity.