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Pokémon Works subsidiary launched within Diamond/Pearl remake devs

All right! TPC caught...a new developer!

Justin Carter, Contributing Editor

March 12, 2024

1 Min Read
Promo art for Pokémon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl.
Image via Nintendo/The Pokémon Company.

At a Glance

  • After its Pokémon Diamond & Pearl remakes, ILCA is being tapped to work on the franchise with Game Freak.

The Pokémon Company has launched a brand new subsidiary for the franchise, Pokémon Works. Originally spotted by Serebii, the company was registered just last week and its trademark recently pushed.

Interestingly, Works is set up within the same building as ILCA. Formed in 2010, the Japanese developer has worked as a support studio on Yakuza 0 and Ace Combat 7.

Its first game as a lead developer was 2020's Pokémon Home. The following year, it returned to the monster catching series with Pokémon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl.

The near future of Pokémon

As for Pokémon Works, its next move is currently under wraps. Brilliant & Shining were remakes of the original Pokémon Diamond & Pearl, and sold 15.06 million copies by the end of 2022, which may indicate more remakes on the horizon.

Either way, it adds another developer to Pokémon's roster. Game Freak is the studio most commonly associated with the series, and it's developed every mainline entry.

Last year, Game Freak revealed it'd be working with Private Division on the unannounced Project Bloom. Having ILCA and Pokemon Works on hand may keep the series going should Game Freak want more time away from Pokémon.

About the Author

Justin Carter

Contributing Editor, GameDeveloper.com

A Kansas City, MO native, Justin Carter has written for numerous sites including IGN, Polygon, and SyFy Wire. In addition to Game Developer, his writing can be found at io9 over on Gizmodo. Don't ask him about how much gum he's had, because the answer will be more than he's willing to admit.

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