The Pokémon Company
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Industry | Brand management |
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Founded | 1998 |
Headquarters | Minato, Tokyo, Japan Bellevue, Washington, United States London, United Kingdom Seoul, South Korea |
Key people | Tsunekazu Ishihara Kenji Okubo Akira Chiba |
Products | Pokémon |
Owner | Nintendo |
Parent | Nintendo |
Website | pokemon.co.jp pokemon.jp pokemon.com pokemonkorea.co.kr |
The Pokémon Company (株式会社ポケモン, Kabushiki gaisha Pokemon) is a corporation owned by Nintendo that is responsible for marketing and licensing the Pokémon franchise. It is affiliated with Game Freak and Creatures.[1] It began operating in 1998 and adopted the moniker Pokémon Ltd. in 2000. The company is headquartered in the Roppongi Hills Mori Tower in Roppongi Rokuchome, Minato, Tokyo.[2]
The company has separate divisions that handle operations in different parts of the world, with The Pokémon Company International supporting the territories outside of Asia, Australia, and New Zealand. In South Korea, the operations are handled by Pokémon Korea, Inc.[2]
History
The company's operations began in 1998 with the opening of the Pokémon Center store in Tokyo, before the actual trademark of "Pokémon, Ltd." was established in 2000. Since then this branch has been marketed as The Pokémon Company. The United States branch (Pokémon USA, Inc.) opened in 2001 to handle licensing overseas.[3] Nintendo Australia does all licensing and marketing of Pokémon products in Australia and New Zealand, as The Pokémon Company does not have an Australian branch.[2]
Since 2001, nearly all licensed Pokémon products have "©Pokémon" in the copyright acknowledgments with the usual three of "©Nintendo", "©GAME FREAK inc." and "©Creatures Inc." The video games, Pokémon Trading Card Game and licensed toys are still being made by third- and second-party companies such as Tomy.
In 2006, Pokémon Korea, Inc. was founded to manage the company's operations in South Korea.[3] The headquarters are located in Seoul.[2]
In 2009, Pokémon USA and Pokémon UK merged to become The Pokémon Company International, which handles American and European Pokémon operations under the administration of Kenji Okubo.[4] The company's offices in the United States are in Bellevue, Washington[5] and its offices in the United Kingdom are in London.[2] Australian operations are controlled by Nintendo Australia.
The Pokémon Company reported $2 billion in retail sales for 2014.[6]
Listed credits
Games
- Pokémon Battle Revolution
- Pokémon Battrio
- Pokémon Black and White
- Pokémon Black 2 and White 2
- Pokémon Box: Ruby & Sapphire
- Pokémon Channel
- Pokémon Colosseum
- Pokémon Conquest
- Pokémon Crystal
- Pokémon Dash
- Pokémon Diamond and Pearl
- Pokémon Emerald
- Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen
- Pokémon Gold and Silver
- Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver
- Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Blue Rescue Team and Red Rescue Team
- Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky
- Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time and Explorers of Darkness
- Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Gates to Infinity
- Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire
- Pokémon Pinball
- Pokémon Pinball: Ruby & Sapphire
- Pokémon Platinum
- Pokémon Ranger
- Pokémon Ranger: Guardian Signs
- Pokémon Ranger: Shadows of Almia
- Pokémon Red and Blue
- Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire
- Pokémon Rumble
- Pokémon Rumble Blast
- Pokémon Rumble World
- Pokémon Snap
- Pokémon Stadium
- Pokémon Stadium 2
- Pokémon Super Mystery Dungeon[7]
- Pokémon TCG Online
- Pokémon Trozei!
- Pokémon X and Y
- Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness
- Pokémon Yellow
- PokéPark Wii: Pikachu's Adventure
- PokéPark 2: Wonders Beyond
- Pokkén Tournament
Anime
- TV series
- Movies
- Pokémon 3: The Movie
- Pokémon 4Ever
- Pokémon: Arceus and the Jewel of Life
- Pokémon: Destiny Deoxys
- Pokémon: Giratina and the Sky Warrior
- Pokémon Heroes
- Pokémon: Jirachi Wish Maker
- Pokémon: Lucario and the Mystery of Mew
- Pokémon Ranger and the Temple of the Sea
- Pokémon: The First Movie
- Pokémon: The Movie 2000
- Pokémon: The Rise of Darkrai
- Pokémon: Zoroark: Master of Illusions
- Pokémon the Movie: Black—Victini and Reshiram
- Pokémon the Movie: Diancie and the Cocoon of Destruction
- Pokémon the Movie: Genesect and the Legend Awakened
- Pokémon the Movie: Hoopa and the Clash of Ages
- Pokémon the Movie: Kyurem vs. the Sword of Justice
- Pokémon the Movie: White—Victini and Zekrom
- TV specials
References
- ^ "Earnings Release" (PDF). Nintendo. 26 October 2006. Retrieved 17 May 2013.
- ^ a b c d e "会社概要". The Pokémon Company. Retrieved 31 August 2014.
- ^ a b "沿革". The Pokémon Company. Retrieved 31 August 2014.
- ^ Daswani, Mansha (9 April 2009). "Pokémon Merges North American, European Operations". WorldScreen.com.com. Archived from the original on 13 April 2009. Retrieved 17 May 2013.
- ^ "Contact Us". The Pokémon Company International. Retrieved 31 August 2014.
- ^ http://nintendoenthusiast.com/news/pokemon-company-reports-2-billion-in-retail-sales-for-2015/
- ^ "『ポケモン超不思議のダンジョン』公式サイト" (in Japanese). Pokemon.co.jp. Retrieved May 21, 2015.