Pokémon Sleep's development is transitioning from Select Button to Pokémon Works, a newly established Pokémon Company subsidiary. This article details the change and its potential implications.
Pokémon Sleep Development Transitioned to Pokémon Works
From Select Button to Pokémon Works
Launched in March, Pokémon Works, a subsidiary of The Pokémon Company, has assumed responsibility for Pokémon Sleep's ongoing development and updates. Previously, Select Button Co., Ltd. and The Pokémon Company, Ltd. jointly managed the game. An in-app announcement (translated from Japanese) confirmed the shift in development and operational control.
The announcement, initially appearing only in the Japanese version of the Pokémon Sleep app, leaves the global version's update schedule unclear. Its absence from the app's global news section raises questions about the international rollout of this change.
While Pokémon Works' portfolio is currently limited, its representative director, Takuya Iwasaki, describes it as a collaborative venture between The Pokémon Company and Iruka Co., Ltd. The company's Shinjuku, Tokyo location is notably close to ILCA, the studio behind Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, and a contributor to Pokémon HOME – a project in which Pokémon Works also participated.
Iwasaki's statement highlights Pokémon Works' ambition to make "Pokémon more real," enhancing the player experience. The specific application of this vision to Pokémon Sleep remains to be seen.
