New Pokemon Game Development Studio Makes Its Debut

Pokemon Works, a subsidiary of The Pokemon Company, recently made its online debut, which includes a statement from its CEO. The company is based in the same building as ILCA, the developer responsible for Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl. Pokemon Works appears to have been established to support the development of future games and services within the Pokemon franchise. It also worked on titles for Bandai Namco like One Piece: Odyssey and Sand Land.

Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl launched in November of 2021 for the Nintendo Switch as part of a collaboration between ILCA and Game Freak. These were remakes of the 2007 DS Pokemon games Diamond and Pearl, in the same spirit as Fire Red and Leaf Green for the Gameboy Advance. The game faced criticism from fans for being too similar to the original games and for not incorporating the improvements introduced in Pokemon Platinum, the third version of Generation 4.

In March of this year, a leak regarding Pokemon revealed the founding of Pokemon Works. Centro Leaks on Twitter mentioned that the studio was set up in the same building as ILCA, though its purpose was unclear at the time. Now, as of around November 8, the Pokemon Works website has launched, making the company’s online debut.

The Pokemon Works Launches Its Website

The site includes a statement from CEO Takuya Iwasaki, who was previously identified as ILCA’s CEO. When machine translated from Japanese, it says, “Our goal is to provide rich experiences that spread the world of Pokémon to hearts across generations, countries, and regions. As a team focused solely on Pokémon, we gather Pokemon enthusiasts who hone their skills and creativity to develop not only games but also services like Pokemon HOME.” Iwasaki goes on to mention their strive to create experiences that allow players to enjoy encounters and adventures with Pokemon while cherishing the “Pokemon-ness” of the franchise.

We are a development team born from two companies: The Pokémon Company and ILCA, Inc.Our goal is to provide rich experiences that spread the world of Pokémon to hearts across generations, countries, and regions. As a team focused solely on Pokémon, we gather Pokémon enthusiasts who hone their skills and creativity to develop not only games but also services like “Pokémon HOME.” The path of development is sometimes arduous. However, it is during such times that we are tested on whether we can maintain a strong “Let’s do it!” spirit. No matter what difficulties we face, our desire to convey the charm of Pokémon is the driving force that propels us forward. Pokémon are your partners and companions. That’s why we strive to create experiences that allow you to enjoy encounters and adventures with Pokémon, while cherishing the world view and “Pokémon-ness” of the franchise. We aim to make Pokémon feel more real and more familiar. We hope to continue connecting the thoughts of many people through the development of games and services. Thank you for your continued support.

CEO Takuya Iwasaki – The Pokemon Works

It remains to be seen what projects The Pokemon Works will develop. They may focus on more remakes, new spin-offs, or even services similar to Pokémon HOME. Pokemon Works is only just getting started, so hopefully we will see news of their first project soon.