Pokemon Boss Says Franchise Could “Go Downhill” If Company Loses Its Focus

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For quite some time now, the Pokemon franchise has maintained a strong presence and continues to captivate audiences. In a recent conversation, Tsunekazu Ishihara, CEO of The Pokemon Company since 1998, expressed his belief that its popularity will persist indefinitely.

Today, on Pokemon Day, he shared with the BBC his belief that if The Pokemon Company maintains its discipline and keeps putting out enjoyable products, there’s no sign of them slowing their pace.

He noted, “As long as we remain committed to our goal, Pokemon could potentially celebrate its 50th or even 100th anniversary. However, if we slip into a state of complacency and simply follow trends, that’s when the fortunes of Pokemon might start to decline.

The Pokémon Corporation primarily operates independently, yet consistently collaborates with its partial owner, Nintendo, across various gaming endeavors. This collaboration spans from developing new games like the upcoming Switch title, Pokémon Legends Z-A, to legal actions such as their recent joint lawsuit against Palworld’s developer, Pocketpair.

Ishihara stated that the unique strength of The Pokemon Company lies in their single-minded devotion to Pokemon. In contrast, large, publicly traded corporations must cater to multiple shareholders and manage a variety of brands, but, as the name implies, The Pokemon Company is solely dedicated to the world of Pokemon.

At the Pokemon Company, our primary focus is solely on Pokemon, as stated by Ishihara. Any earnings derived from this franchise are then channeled back into further development and enhancement of the Pokemon brand.

He further stated that he finds it liberating not to have public shareholders demanding explanations, as they might inquire about the absence of non-Pokemon projects. If such a question were posed to him, Ishihara would respond, “We’ll go out of business once Pokemon loses its popularity.

During the Pokemon Presents broadcast, The Pokemon Company unveiled several updates, among which was the announcement of a fresh Pokemon Champions.

30 years ago, on February 27, 1996, I was introduced to the world of Pokémon through the release of Red and Green versions in Japan. Fast forward to 2026, we’ll be celebrating three decades of this extraordinary series that has brought so much joy and adventure into our lives!

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2025-02-28 00:09