Business Summary

Video Games, and Much More

Created in 1996, the Pokémon video game series is a fun-filled role-playing game that lets players experience various elements of play, such as collection through catching and raising Pokémon, as well as communication through trading and battling with friends. The Pokémon game series has given rise to many spin off games as well, which we produce to ensure that these games are chock-full of what makes Pokémon so appealing.

• Official Pokémon Website: Game

Launched in October 1996, the Pokémon Trading Card Game is the first and oldest trading card game in Japan. Each card has its own effects, meaning players can enjoy building a deck of their choosing, then using that deck in a strategic battle against their opponent. Part of the fun of the card game is the communication unique to face-to-face encounters, such as the exchange of greetings and handshakes at the start and finish of a battle.

• Official Pokémon Website: Card Game

The animated TV series started in April 1997 and has high ratings even today, and the first theatrical film was released the following year in July 1998, with the release of a new movie now a staple of summer vacation. We have produced a range of other video pieces as well, including a variety TV program featuring information on Pokémon starting in 2002. We not only manage the quality of Pokémon and human characters in video works, but are involved from the planning stage of production of them, working in collaboration to develop games, merchandise, cross-promotions, and more.

• Official Pokémon Website: TV Shows&Movies

Granting licenses to our business partners allows a variety of companies to release Pokémon merchandise. We inspect and approve concept and design through weekly meetings designed to control the quality of such merchandise. We have had hundreds of thousands of projects submitted. At the same time, we’re turning out new ideas all the time to draw out the maximum appeal of each and every Pokémon with our special Original Product Development team.

• Official Pokémon Website: Pokémon Products

Like our merchandise sales, cross-promotions are a vital part of our licensing business. We provide the kind of cooperation only Pokémon can to licensees for promotions they wish to implement. Together, we plan and operate projects that make the licensee’s services even more appealing, creating not only games, animation, and merchandise, but also content that can be enjoyed by a broader audience through greater opportunity to interact with Pokémon in various settings.

From kids to grown-ups, people of all ages will smile! We host a variety of events to help make that moment happen. With interactive events featuring popular Pokémon such as Pikachu and full-fledged card game tournaments, these events provide a space for a broad spectrum of Pokémon fans to come together and experience something unprecedented, creating even more love for Pokémon.

• Official Pokémon Website: Events

The Pokémon Center, an official shop that recreates the Pokémon Center featured in the world of the game, currently has 12 locations in Japan. Each shop runs campaigns uniquely crafted to each location and provides the latest Pokémon information. In addition to these shops, we’ve developed small Pokémon Stores in airports, tourist spots and so on, as well as the online shop Pokémon Center Online.

• Official Pokémon Website: Official Shops

International markets are crucial to developing Pokémon worldwide. With our affiliates the Pokémon Company International and Pokémon Korea, Inc., we manage the Pokémon brand in each target region.Linguistic and cultural backgrounds vary greatly among the countries of the world. Pokémon is meticulously localized to ensure its content suits each region.

We’re developing a range of projects for apps aimed at smartphones and tablets. By using these apps to provide a slightly different kind of entertainment compared to video games, we’ve been able to reach those who we couldn’t approach in the past, conveying the appeal of Pokémon to a broader audience. Pokémon keeps a broad perspective and looks to the momentous evolution of information technology as we base our app development in imaginative ideas.

• Official Pokémon Website: Apps

The Pokémon with You disaster relief project was created out of our desire to reassure children affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake and help bring back smiles, and has continued since 2011 with endorsement from companies involved with Pokémon. In December 2012, the official shop Pokémon Center Tohoku was established in the city of Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture. All proceeds go to the children of Tohoku through relief activities and subsidies for the cost of events.