What is The Pokémon Works, the developer behind Pokémon Champions

Pokémon Day 2025 brought a wave of announcements during the Pokémon Presents morning presentation, including the reveal of a new battle-focused spinoff, Pokémon Champions.

The Pokémon Champions reveal featured a doubles battle, confirming that the game will have Terastalization—introduced in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet—and Mega Evolutions, a Gen 6 mechanic from Pokémon X and Y that later appeared in Pokémon GO and will soon return in Pokémon Legends: Z-A.

While the gameplay reveal surely excited longtime fans, especially those who enjoyed Pokémon Stadium on the Nintendo 64, another detail caught players’ attention—Game Freak is only handling the planning, while the actual development is in the hands of a studio called The Pokémon Works.

The Pokémon Works is a joint venture by The Pokémon Company

The Pokémon Works is a🔯 joint venture between The Pokémon Company and the Japanese development studio ILCA (I Love Computer Art).

While its name may feel straight out of the 90s, ILCA was founded in 2010 and initially specialized in CG graphics and video production. Since then, the studio has contributed to major AAA titl🌟es such as:

• NieR: Automata
• Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age
• One Piece Odyssey

ILCA’s previous Pokémon experience played a key role in securing this joint venture with The Pokémon Company. The studio was responsible for developing Pokémon Home and Pokémon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl (BDSP).

Whether this is good or bad news depends on how you feel about BDSP. Back when it released in November 2021, Destructoid’s BDSP review was a 6.5 out of 10, where reviewer Chris Carter said “fans of the genre should enjoy them a bit, but a fair few will be left unfulfilled.”

However, one thing is certain—Pokémon Champions will be led by The Pokémon Works, which includes ILCA, with Game Freak overseeing the project, ensuring it meets the franchise’s quality standards.

What we know about Pokémon Champions so far

Pokémon Champions is still in active development with no anꦫnounced release date or window, making a 2025 launch unlikely.

However, it has been confirmed that the game will be released on mobile (Android and iOS) and the Nintendo Switch “family systems”—likely meaning both the original Switch and the upcoming Switch 2.