ILCA (company)

ILCA, Inc.^[a] is a Japanese video game developer based in Tokyo. The studio is most known for developing Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl (2021) and One Piece Odyssey (2023). The company also has offices based in Nagoya, Kyoto, and Kobe.

ILCA, Inc.

Native name	株式会社イルカ
Romanized name	Kabushikigaisha iruka
Company type	Private
Industry	Video games Computer graphics video production
Founded	October 1, 2010; 14 years ago (2010-10-01)
Headquarters	Shinjuku, Tokyo , Japan
Number of locations	7 (2024)
Key people	Takuya Iwasaki (CEO)
Number of employees	397 (2025/04)[1]
Website	www.ilca.co.jp

History

ILCA was formed by former Cavia employees on October 1, 2010, in Tokyo, Japan, with the studio's name being an acronym of the phrase "I Love Computer Art". In 2017, ILCA formed TIA as a joint venture with Anima [ja]; Toho would eventually buy out Anima's stake and rename the studio Toho Animation Studio in 2022.^[2]

While the company initially started out as a CG-based video production company, it eventually branched out to work on video game projects. It has worked as a support studio for games such as Yakuza 0, Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age, Nier: Automata, Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4 and Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown,^[3] as well as applications such as Pokémon Home. In 2020, it was announced that the director for Monster Hunter World: Iceborne, Daisuke Ichihara, had joined ILCA's Kyoto office.^[4]

The studio received more attention when it was revealed as the lead developer for Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl (2021).^[5] It had since then developed a close relationship with publisher Bandai Namco Entertainment, working on games such as The Idolmaster: Starlit Season,^[6] One Piece Odyssey and Sand Land.^[7] It also formed a new studio named Bandai Namco Aces with the publisher in 2022 to work on the next Ace Combat game. Bandai Namco will own 51% of the new studio, while ILCA will own the remaining 49%.^[8]

The company founded The Pokémon Works in 2024 as a joint venture alongside The Pokémon Company to develop games in the Pokémon series; its first project is Pokémon Champions.^[9]

Games

Year	Title	Platform(s)	Publisher
2020	Pokémon Home	Nintendo Switch, Android, iOS	Nintendo/The Pokémon Company
2021	The Idolmaster: Starlit Season	Windows, PlayStation 4	Bandai Namco Entertainment
	Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl	Nintendo Switch	Nintendo/The Pokémon Company
2023	One Piece Odyssey	Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch	Bandai Namco Entertainment
2024	Sand Land	Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S
2025	The Idolmaster: Tours	Arcade

Notes

1. Japanese: 株式会社イルカ, Hepburn: Kabushikigaisha iruka; Acronym for "I Love Computer Art"