Which three companies jointly own the Pokémon franchise?

Nintendo, Creatures, and Game Freak jointly own the Pokémon franchise.

Game Freak developed the original Pokémon games, Nintendo published them, and Creatures became involved in the property's production and business structure. Their shared ownership arrangement is unusual because the rights are not concentrated in one company.

The three companies are also the joint owners behind The Pokémon Company, which manages branding, licensing, publishing, marketing, and much of the franchise's worldwide business. The Pokémon Company was founded in 1998 as Pokémon Center Co., Ltd. and adopted its current name after expanding its operations in 2000.

This ownership group is different from the many companies that make individual Pokémon products. For example, OLM produced much of the animated television series, while other partners handled films, cards, merchandise, and mobile games. Those production roles do not replace the three companies' core ownership relationship.