What is the name of the company founded in 1998 to manage Pokémon licensing?

The company founded in 1998 to manage Pokémon licensing was The Pokémon Company.

Nintendo, Game Freak, and Creatures jointly established the company to coordinate the growing franchise across games, merchandise, media, and licensing. Its creation reflected Pokémon's expansion beyond individual video games into trading cards, animation, toys, publications, and international products.

The organization was originally established as Pokémon Center Company, Ltd. It changed its name to The Pokémon Company in October 2000, a detail that can make the founding date and the current name appear inconsistent in historical summaries.

The Pokémon Company manages the Pokémon brand and works with its corporate partners, while different projects still have different developers, publishers, studios, and licensees. The Pokémon Company International handles many operations outside Asia. It is therefore not the same thing as Nintendo, Game Freak, or Creatures, although all three are foundational partners.