Which company was Pokémon Center Co. Ltd. renamed in October 2000?

Pokémon Center Co. Ltd. was renamed The Pokémon Company in October 2000.

Pokémon Center Co. Ltd. had originally been established in 1998 as a joint venture among Nintendo, Creatures, and Game Freak. Its initial purpose was operating Pokémon Center merchandise stores, but the franchise rapidly grew beyond retail.

The reorganization created a central business dedicated to managing Pokémon as a broad multimedia property. The Pokémon Company coordinated games, cards, animation, licensing, merchandise, and other parts of the brand. This was an important step in turning Pokémon into an organized global franchise rather than a property managed through separate companies.

The Pokémon Company International was later established to manage the franchise outside Asia. It is a subsidiary of The Pokémon Company, so the two names should not be treated as interchangeable. Nintendo, Creatures, and Game Freak remain the joint owners of the Pokémon trademark in Japan.