As per Merrick, Pokemon Works’ offices are situated in the same building that also houses the offices of independent support studio ILCA, which served as the lead developer on 2021’s Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, and 2020’s Pokemon Home.

However, it’s unknown whether working closely with ILCA on future titles is going to be a mandate for Pokemon Works. In fact, currently, it’s unknown what exact purpose the newly-established subsidiary will be serving.

Pokemon games in the Nintendo Switch era have frequently been criticized for the poor technical states they have launched in. Following backlash against Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, The Pokemon Company said it was having internal conversations about how best to ensure future instalments hit a certain bar of quality, without having to significantly alter the series’ release schedule. Earlier this year, it was claimed that the company had taken criticism for Scarlet and Violet seriously, and was taking steps to ensure that similar issues were avoided in future titles.

The next mainline Pokemon game, Pokemon Legends: Z-A, was announced last month. Set entirely within the Kalos region’s Lumiose City, it will launch sometime in 2025.

This company is set up in Shinjuku in Tokyo in the same building as ILCA.

— Joe Merrick (@JoeMerrick) March 11, 2024