The CEO and president of Pokemon co-developer have both stepped down

By Hirun Cryer
published

Creatures Inc. undergoes a leadership change

Detective Pikachu
(Image credit: The Pokemon Company)

Detective Pikachu studio and frequent Pokemon collaborator Creatures Inc. has undergone a big leadership shake-up.

As reported by Serebii owner Joe Merrick earlier today on April 5, CEO of Creatures Inc. Tsunekazu Ishihara and president Hirokazu Tanaka have both stepped down from the company. The developer's new CEO will be Yuji Kitano, while Tomotaka Komaru will server as executive vice president after the changes at leadership.

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You might recognize Tsunekazu Ishihara from hosting recent Pokemon Presents showcases over the past few years, and that's because not only is he CEO of Creatures Inc., but he's also the CEO of The Pokemon Company. Tanaka, meanwhile, hasn't been such a public face for Pokemon, but oddly enough is a musician who pioneered chiptune music. Hey, the more you know.

It's important to remember that these changes don't explicitly effect The Pokemon Company, which remains the chief driving force behind the mainline Pokemon games. As of right now, Ishihara appears to be sticking around as the CEO of The Pokemon Company, so while he's given up one major role in the Pokemon franchise, he's very much maintained another.

Creatures Inc. is still supposedly hard at work making Detective Pikachu 2. The sequel has been missing in action for several years now, but according to the studio's website last year in 2022, Detective Pikachu 2 is very much still alive and in active development. 

The studio is primarily responsible for actually modelling the Pokemon themselves, supplying the in-game models for titles like Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. Right now, it's a bit unclear how the change in leadership affects Creatures Inc., but it should very much be business as usual for the mainline Pokemon games themselves.

Last month, the Detective Pikachu 2 movie announced its director, as the long-rumored sequel appears to finally be nearing production.

Hirun Cryer
Hirun Cryer

Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.