Creatures Inc., Co-Owner of The Pokemon Company, Has Major Corporate Shakeup

Creatures Inc., the Japanese company that owns a share of The Pokemon Company and is responsible for one of its biggest revenue drivers, has announced a major shift in management. The company announced on their website that Tsunekazu Ishihara and Hirokazu Tanaka have stepped down as the CEO and President respectively. They have been replaced by Yuji Kitano as the new CEO/President and Tomotaka Komura acting as the new Executive Vice President. Creatures Inc. is responsible not only for the 3D modeling and animation of Pokemon for use in main series Pokemon games, but also the development of the Pokemon Trading Card Game, which remains a key part of the Pokemon franchise. 

The news is notable as Ishihara is also the president of The Pokemon Company and is one of the current faces of the company who appears in most Pokemon Presents. As of now, Ishihara is still the president of The Pokemon Company and there’s no current indication that he’s stepping down from that role. 

Yuji Katano was previously the Pokemon Trading Card Game’s producer and a member of Creature’s board. Under his guidance, the Pokemon Trading Card Game has exploded in renewed popularity due to a combination of heightened interest during the pandemic and more dynamic card sets with upgrades in art and design. Likewise, Tomotaka Komura has a long history with The Pokemon Company, with “special thanks” credits on every Pokemon game dating back to Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire. 

The Pokemon Company and its various partner companies have seen shifts in leadership as the Pokemon franchise shifts to a new generation of leadership. Junichi Masuda, another longtime Pokemon designer and producer, recently shifted from his position at Game Freak directing Pokemon games to a position at The Pokemon Company to serve as Chief Creative Fellow.