Which company was originally established in 1998 as Pokémon Center Co., Ltd.?

The Pokémon Company was originally established in 1998 as Pokémon Center Co., Ltd.

The company’s original purpose was connected to operating Pokémon Center retail stores in Japan. It was later restructured and renamed The Pokémon Company in 2000, becoming the central business organization responsible for managing many parts of the Pokémon brand.

Nintendo, Game Freak, and Creatures are the three companies commonly identified as the franchise’s core corporate owners. They are not interchangeable with The Pokémon Company. Game Freak developed the original games, Creatures was involved in game and trading-card development, and Nintendo published and supported the series.

The Pokémon Company International was created later to manage the franchise outside Asia. Because the modern company name is so familiar, references to its 1998 origin can be confusing. The legally and historically relevant sequence is Pokémon Center Co., Ltd. in 1998, followed by the 2000 restructuring and adoption of The Pokémon Company name.