Competitive Pokémon has never been bigger. The 2026 Pokémon North America International Championships brought thousands of players to New Orleans this past weekend, with competitors battling across the Pokémon Trading Card Game, Pokémon GO, Pokémon UNITE, and Pokémon Champions. The event also came with a major announcement, as The Pokémon Company International confirmed that NAIC will move to Chicago in 2027 to accommodate continued growth.
That growth isn’t limited to attendance. Interest in competitive Pokémon continues to expand across multiple games, and the upcoming launch of Pokémon Champions on mobile is expected to bring even more players into the ecosystem. For many esports organizations, that kind of demand eventually leads to stricter qualification requirements and more barriers to entry. According to The Pokémon Company International, however, that’s something it hopes to avoid.
Pokémon Wants To Keep Competitive Play Open
Speaking during a roundtable interview attended by Collider at NAIC 2026, Director of Global Esports & Events Chris Brown discussed the challenges that come with running increasingly large tournaments while maintaining the accessibility that has helped define Play! Pokémon. Brown noted that Pokémon‘s competitive circuit remains unusually open compared to many esports and traditional competitive systems. Outside the Pokémon World Championships, players generally do not need to qualify before registering for events.
“We are an open tour, basically,” Brown explained. “Any one of our events other than Worlds, anyone can compete in without any sort of prerequisite.”
As attendance continues to climb, maintaining that structure becomes more complicated. Brown acknowledged that many competitive ecosystems eventually introduce additional qualification layers to manage growing demand, but said Pokémon is trying to avoid that path if possible. “Those layers of qualification end up creating accessibility windows,” Brown said. “If I miss this window, I have to wait. In traditional esports, that’s often a whole year.” The conversation comes at a time when Pokémon‘s competitive scene is experiencing significant growth. Brown also revealed during the interview that NAIC attendance has increased by more than 150% since moving to New Orleans three years ago, and noted that many competitions and events now sell out within seconds of registration opening.
Accessibility Remains A Core Part Of Play! Pokémon
Despite those challenges, Brown said accessibility remains one of the company’s guiding principles as it plans for the future. “We don’t want to lose the accessibility that we have,” Brown said. “So as much as we can, we’ll try to keep and be the most accessible esport, really, in the world.” That philosophy extends beyond major international events. Brown pointed to Pokémon‘s extensive network of local leagues and retail store programs as a key part of what makes competitive play approachable for new players. Rather than requiring competitors to travel across the country for their first tournament experience, Pokémon‘s local league structure allows players to learn the game, meet other competitors, and participate in organized play close to home before deciding whether to attend larger events.
The company is also preparing for additional growth. Brown confirmed that Pokémon expects increased interest in competitive play following the launch of Pokémon Champions and acknowledged that future logistical challenges may require new solutions. For now, however, The Pokémon Company International remains focused on preserving the open nature of its competitive ecosystem. As Pokémon continues to grow across generations and platforms, Brown made it clear that accessibility will remain a priority.
“We’re seeing so much benefit for the community,” he said. “We don’t want to lose that.”
- Release Date
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1997 – 2023
- Network
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TV Tokyo, TV Osaka, TV Aichi, TVh, TVQ, TSC
- Directors
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Shigeru Omachi, Koji Ogawa, Fumihiro Ueno, Hideki Hiroshima, Maki Kodaira, Makoto Ooga, Ayumi Moriyama, Keitaro Motonaga, Shigeru Ueda, Fumihiro Yoshimura, Minoru Ohara, Yoshitaka Makino, Kiyoshi Egami, Makoto Sokuza, Bjarne Heuser, Naoki Murata, Kenichi Nishida, Tomoe Makino, Masahiko Watanabe, Hiroaki Takagi, Tazumi Mukaiyama, Ryohei Horiuchi, Yoshihiro Oda, Hiromichi Matano
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Rica Matsumoto
Satoshi (voice)
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Ikue Otani
Pikachu (voice)
