Who owns Pokémon (games)?
Pokémon (games) is owned by Nintendo (Japan, TSE: 7974).[1]
This ownership is reported in official statements but has not yet been matched to a regulatory filing.
Evidence: Nintendo Co., Ltd. Annual Report 2025, 27 June 2025. Last checked .
Key facts
- Current owner
- Nintendo Co., Ltd. reported
- Owner HQ
- 🇯🇵 Japan, Kyoto
- Origin
- 🇯🇵 Japan
- Founded
- 1996
- Category
- Internet & digital › Platforms & devices › Video games
- Parent ticker
- TSE: 7974
- Last verified
- · 1 sources
About Pokémon (games)
The Pokémon games are developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo, while the wider franchise is managed by The Pokémon Company, which Nintendo co-owns rather than controls. That shared structure is why Pokémon licensing works differently from Mario. The Pokémon Company is owned jointly by Nintendo, Game Freak and Creatures, which is why no single one of them can license the franchise alone.
Ownership timeline of Pokémon (games)
Where Pokémon (games) sits in Nintendo
Controlling ownership as of . Brands grouped under the entity that owns them; large groups are collapsed.
Open the full Nintendo ownership tree →
See the full Nintendo brand portfolio (14) →
Other brands owned by Nintendo
Nintendo controls 14 brands on Brandtree, 5 of them in internet & digital.
Also in internet & digital
- Animal Crossing (2001)
- Nintendo Switch (2017)
- Super Mario (1985)
- The Legend of Zelda (1986)
Founded in the 1990s
- Kirby (Nintendo) (1992)
Other brands in video games, and who owns them
The 69 brands in video games on Brandtree belong to 18 owners. The largest is Take-Two, with 7; Nintendo has 4.
| Brand | Owner | Owner based in |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy Westward Journey | NetEase | 🇭🇰 Hong Kong |
| 2K | Take-Two | 🇺🇸 United States |
| Apex Legends | EA | 🇺🇸 United States |
| eFootball | Konami | 🇯🇵 Japan |
| Bingo Blitz | Playtika | 🇮🇱 Israel |
| Mega Man | Capcom | 🇯🇵 Japan |
| Football Manager | Sega Sammy | 🇯🇵 Japan |
| Clash of Clans | Tencent | 🇨🇳 China |
About the owner: Nintendo
Nintendo is a publicly listed company headquartered in Kyoto, Japan, founded in 1889. Brandtree records 14 brands under its control, and it is listed as TSE: 7974.
Nintendo was founded in Kyoto in 1889 making handmade playing cards and did not enter video games until the 1970s. It owns its characters outright rather than licensing them in, which is why they appear across films, theme parks and merchandise without any negotiation.
🇯🇵 Pokémon (games) and other Japanese brands
Brandtree records a controlling owner for 449 brands that began in Japan. 23 of them (5%) are now controlled by a company headquartered in another country; Pokémon (games) is not one of them.
- ABEMA — CyberAgent 🇯🇵
- Acquire — Kadokawa 🇯🇵
- Dragon Quest — Square Enix 🇯🇵
- Elden Ring — Bandai Namco 🇯🇵
- Ikyu.com — LY Corporation 🇯🇵
- Jikkyou Pawafuru Puroyakyu — Konami 🇯🇵
Frequently asked questions
Who is the parent company of Pokémon (games)?
The parent company of Pokémon (games) is Nintendo, a publicly listed company headquartered in Japan.
Is Pokémon (games) Japanese?
Yes. Pokémon (games) originated in Japan in 1996 and its owner, Nintendo, is also headquartered in Japan.
Is Pokémon (games) still owned by Nintendo?
Yes. As of 16 September 2026, Pokémon (games) is still owned by Nintendo. The ownership record was last checked against primary sources on that date.
Sources (1) & corrections
Last verified . Every ownership fact above is backed by one of these primary documents. Numbers in brackets in the text refer to this list.
- [1] Nintendo Co., Ltd. Annual Report 2025 — Nintendo Co., Ltd., Annual report, published 27 June 2025; retrieved 16 September 2026.
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