Pokémon Sleep Development Shifts to New Pokémon SubsidiaryFrom SELECT BUTTON to Pokémon Works
"Until now, the development and operation of Pokemon Sleep has been handled by two companies, SELECT BUTTON Co. Ltd. and The Pokemon Company, Ltd.," the developers announced through the game app, translated via machine translation. "However, the development and operation of Pokemon Sleep will gradually transition from SELECT BUTTON to Pokemon Works."
This news was announced in a general notice on the Japanese Pokemon Sleep app. It remains unclear how this change will impact the global version of the game, as the news is not currently visible within the app’s News section.
Additionally, Pokémon Works reportedly shares a location in Shinjuku, Tokyo with ILCA, the game development studio behind the 2021 Pokémon remakes, Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, and a co-developer of the Pokémon HOME service. Iwasaki mentioned in his greeting that Pokémon Works also contributed to the development of Pokémon HOME.
While their past involvement with Pokémon is limited to these projects, the company promises to "create an experience that makes Pokémon more real... so that everyone can enjoy meeting and adventuring with Pokémon." How they plan to implement this vision in Pokémon Sleep remains to be seen.