The company now known as The Pokémon Company was established in 1998 as Pokémon Center Co., Ltd.
Nintendo, Creatures, and Game Freak founded the company on April 23, 1998. Its original purpose was to manage Pokémon Center merchandise stores in Japan, beginning with the first store in Nihonbashi, Tokyo.
The organization later broadened its responsibilities as the franchise expanded across games, cards, animation, licensing, and merchandise. In October 2000, it adopted the name The Pokémon Company.
This creates a common date mix-up: 1998 is the company’s founding year under its original name, while 2000 is the year of the rebranding. The three founding companies remain central owners of the Pokémon brand.