Creatures (company) facts for kids
Logo used since 2018
|
|
Headquarters in the Iidabashi Grand Bloom building in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan
|
|
|
Native name
|
株式会社クリーチャーズ
|
|---|---|
|
Romanized name
|
Kabushiki gaisha Kurīchāzu |
| Private KK | |
| Industry | Video games |
| Genre |
|
| Predecessor | Ape Inc. |
| Founded |
|
| Founder |
|
| Headquarters | 2-10-2 Fujimi,
Chiyoda, Tokyo
,
Japan
|
|
Number of locations
|
1 studio (2019) |
|
Key people
|
|
| Products | Games |
| Brands | |
|
Number of employees
|
232 (2023) |
| Divisions | Pokemon CG Studio |
Creatures Inc. is a Japanese company that makes video games. They work closely with Game Freak and Nintendo. Creatures Inc. is one of the owners of the super popular Pokémon series!
The company was started by Tsunekazu Ishihara in November 1995. He got help from Satoru Iwata, who was the president of HAL Laboratory at the time. Creatures Inc. took over from an older company called Ape Inc. which was founded by Shigesato Itoi.
Creatures Inc. is part of The Pokémon Company, along with Game Freak and Nintendo. They are famous for making the Pokémon Trading Card Game and designing Pokémon toys. Creatures Inc. has a special team called the Pokémon CG Studio. This studio creates the amazing 3D models and animations for all the Pokémon characters you see in the games.
Besides Pokémon games, Creatures Inc. has also made other fun games. Their main office is in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan.
Contents
History
How Creatures Inc. Started
Creatures Inc. was created on November 8, 1995. Tsunekazu Ishihara became its first CEO (Chief Executive Officer). Many people who used to work at Ape Inc. joined him at Creatures Inc.
In 2000, Hirokazu Tanaka, also known as Hip Tanaka, became the President of Creatures Inc. He used to be a famous composer and sound designer for Nintendo. Ishihara then became the President of The Pokémon Company, but he still kept his CEO role at Creatures Inc.
Creatures Inc. has a special team called the Pokémon CG Studio. This team focuses only on making 3D models and animations for Pokémon. They create the Pokémon characters, but human characters are made by Game Freak. In 2017, the studio had 22 full-time 3D artists. They wanted to have even more artists in the future. When they have a lot of work, they can have about 100 people, including temporary helpers, working on models and animations.
In October 2020, Creatures Inc. bought another game company called Ambrella. Ambrella used to make several Pokémon spin-off games. After the purchase, Ambrella closed down, and its employees joined Creatures Inc.
In April 2023, some big changes happened in the company's leadership. Tsunekazu Ishihara stepped down as CEO and executive director of Creatures Inc. Hirokazu Tanaka also stepped down as president. Ishihara is still the President of The Pokémon Company and will continue to help manage Creatures Inc. as a founder. Tanaka will stay on as a "Creative Fellow," which means he'll still help with creative ideas. Now, Yuji Kitano is the new CEO and President of Creatures Inc., and Tomotaka Komura is the Executive Vice President.
Ape Inc.: The Beginning
Before Creatures Inc., there was a company called Ape Inc. It was started in March 1989 by Shigesato Itoi. Nintendo's president, Hiroshi Yamauchi, wanted to help new game designers. He liked Itoi's work and decided to invest in his company.
Ape Inc. had important people like Tsunekazu Ishihara, who later became the president of The Pokémon Company. They started working on a game called Mother, which came out in Japan in 1989. The music for Mother was made by Hirokazu Tanaka, who later became the second CEO of Creatures Inc.
The team then made Mother 2, which is known as EarthBound in other parts of the world. When they had trouble finishing the game, Satoru Iwata from HAL Laboratory came to help. EarthBound was released in Japan in 1994. Ape Inc. stopped making games in 1995.
Ape Inc. also helped Nintendo and Shogakukan create official guidebooks for Nintendo games. They started with Encyclopedia Mother in 1989 and ended with a Pocket Monsters guidebook in 1997. After that, Shogakukan took over making Nintendo's official guidebooks.
Games They Helped Make
Creatures Inc. and its earlier company, Ape Inc., have helped create many games. They are especially known for their work on the Pokémon series.
Games by Ape Inc.
Ape Inc. helped develop several games, often working with other companies.
- Mother (1989): This role-playing game was released in Japan. It was later released worldwide as EarthBound Beginnings.
- EarthBound (1994): Known as Mother 2 in Japan, this popular role-playing game was co-developed with HAL Laboratory.
- Picross Games (1995): They helped with puzzle games like Mario's Picross for Game Boy and Mario's Super Picross for SNES.
Games by Creatures Inc.
Creatures Inc. has played a big part in many games, especially Pokémon titles.
- Pokémon Trading Card Game (1998): They were key in planning and designing this popular card game for Game Boy Color.
- Pokémon Modeling: Creatures Inc. is famous for creating the 3D models and animations for Pokémon in many games. This includes games like:
- Pokémon Stadium (1998, 1999)
- Hey You, Pikachu! (1998)
- Super Smash Bros. (1999)
- Pokémon Snap (1999)
- Super Smash Bros. Melee (2001)
- Pokémon Colosseum (2003)
- Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness (2005)
- Pokémon Battle Revolution (2006)
- Main series Pokémon games like X and Y (2013), Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire (2014), Sun and Moon (2016), Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee! (2018), Sword and Shield (2019), Pokémon Legends: Arceus (2022), and Scarlet and Violet (2022).
- Developer of Spin-off Games: Creatures Inc. has also developed many Pokémon spin-off games themselves:
- Chee-Chai Alien (2001)
- Pokémon Ranger: Shadows of Almia (2008)
- PokéPark Wii: Pikachu's Adventure (2009)
- Pokémon Ranger: Guardian Signs (2010)
- Pokédex 3D (2011) and Pokédex 3D Pro (2012)
- PokéPark 2: Wonders Beyond (2011)
- Pokédex for iOS (2012)
- Great Detective Pikachu: Birth of a New Duo (2016)
- Detective Pikachu (2018)
- Detective Pikachu Returns (2023)
- Other Contributions: They have also co-developed or assisted with other games like Picross 2 (1996), Game Boy Camera (1998), Nonono Puzzle Chailien (2005), Personal Trainer: Walking (2008), and Pokémon Card Game: How to Play DS (2011). They also co-developed Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket (2024).
See also
In Spanish: Creatures (compañía) para niños
