In the last few months, there has been a lot of discussion on the cutting of the National Dex in Pokemon Sword and Shield, with many putting the blame on Game Freak for this decision.

As many Pokemon fans believe that Game Freak is responsible for the creation of models and animations for Pokemon, ResetERA user Atheerios has shared what they know about Pokemon CG Studio, the entity that makes these assets.

Pokemon CG Studio is a subsidiary of Creatures Inc, one of the owners of the Pokemon brand and the creators of the Pokemon TCG (Trading Card Game).

Pokemon CG Studio makes every Pokemon model and animation you see in the games and passes them on to Game Freak. Game Freak, on the other hand, models and animates the human characters you see in the games.

Here’s how it works – Game Freak first passes 2D illustrations of Pokemon to Pokemon CG Studio, Pokemon CG Studio makes the assets, then passes them to Game Freak for their final approval.

As of 2017, Pokemon CG Studio has 22 full time 3DCG artists, but that could increase to 100 during peak periods with the help of temporary contractors. Atsuko Ujiya, director of Pokemon CG Studio, previously told the Japanese media she wanted to double the studio’s head count as she believes more resources will be needed in the era of 4K and 8K.

Here’s a list of companies that help with the production of the mainline games:

Sun / Moon:
– OLM, Inc.
– Creek & River Co., Ltd.
– Digital Works Entertainment
– Planeta Co., Ltd.
– Rebuild Games, LLC
– GEMINI BREEZE, LLCUltra Sun / Ultra Moon:
– Rebuild Games LLC
– Digital Works Entertainment
– TABOT,inc.Let’s Go:
– WINDS CO., LTD.
– Digital Works Entertainment
– Polygon Pictures Inc.
– Silver Ant PPI Sdn. Bhd.
– RAYLINE STUDIO Inc.
– Creek & River Co., Ltd.
– SMILEAXE Co.,Ltd.
– PlayLinks Inc.
– Studio-RF
– TYO Inc.
– Niantic, Inc.