Can you imagine being able to interact with Pokémon through a smartwatch, a pair of glasses, or even a ring? It may sound like something straight out of a futuristic episode of the anime, but The Pokémon Company is already thinking about the possibility.

During the Producing Pokémon: A Conversation with Mr. Ishihara panel at PokémonXP 2026 in San Francisco, Tsunekazu Ishihara, president and CEO of The Pokémon Company, talked about how the franchise has had to adapt to the major technological changes of the past few decades.

Ishihara recalled that Pokémon has already experimented with different accessories designed to complement its games. However, the arrival of smartphones opened up new possibilities, and now the company is looking in a different direction.

The Pokémon Company wants to bring Pokémon to smartwatches, glasses, and rings

Ishihara talked about some of the accessories Pokémon has used in the past, including the Pokéwalker and Pokémon GO Plus, devices that allowed players to take part of the Pokémon experience outside their consoles.

The executive believes there is now a new opportunity thanks to the growth of smart devices.

“In the past, these complementary devices or accessories, like the Pokéwalker and Pokémon GO Plus, were like little secret weapons that you could pull out of your pocket and use to do something really fun. But today, I was thinking that, looking toward the future, one of our challenges might be figuring out how we can integrate Pokémon even more with some of the wearable technologies, such as smartwatches, smart glasses, or even smart rings, for example.”

Ishihara Pokémon XP

The statement is particularly interesting because Ishihara did not limit his comments to smartphones. The Pokémon Company president specifically mentioned smartwatches, smart glasses, and smart rings as possible platforms for bringing the franchise to new experiences.

That said, it is important to keep expectations in check. No new Pokémon device was announced, nor was it confirmed that any of these products are currently in development. For now, this is simply an idea Ishihara considers one of the challenges the company could explore in the future.

Pokémon Already Knows How to Turn Technology Into a Game

The idea does not come out of nowhere. Pokémon has spent years experimenting with devices that allow fans to interact with the franchise in different ways.

One of the most memorable examples is the Pokéwalker, an accessory that came with Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver and allowed players to take their Pokémon with them while walking.

More recently, Pokémon GO Plus allowed players to interact with Pokémon GO without constantly having to take their phone out of their pocket.

The company continues to explore this concept. Pokémon Sleep, for example, turned something as ordinary as sleeping into a game mechanic, using sleep data to create an experience connected to the franchise.

On top of that, the recently announced Fitbit Air Special Edition Pokémon Sleep shows that the idea of connecting Pokémon with devices we use in our everyday lives continues to evolve.

Could Pokémon Become Part of Our Everyday Lives?

This is where Ishihara’s comments become particularly interesting.

Smartwatches, glasses, and rings can collect information, display data, and offer different functions without requiring us to take our phones out of our pockets. For a franchise like Pokémon, this could open the door to completely different experiences.

For example, a smartwatch could track physical activity and turn it into some kind of progress within a game. Smart glasses could display Pokémon-related information about our surroundings, while a smart ring could serve as an accessory for interacting with an application.

All of these are possibilities, not official announcements, but they offer an interesting glimpse at where Pokémon could be heading in the coming years.

Ishihara Wants Pokémon to Keep Surprising Players

The Pokémon Company president also made it clear that his interest goes beyond simply adapting the franchise to new devices.

Ishihara, who also founded and previously served as CEO of Creatures Inc., explained that he has always had a strong passion for portable devices and toys.

Because of this, he hopes the people in charge of Pokémon will continue looking for new ways to play and create experiences capable of surprising players for many years to come.

“I really hope that Pokémon and the people who are in charge of the franchise continue to create completely new ways to play that excite people. And I also hope that humanity, in general, continues to enjoy those experiences. Perhaps even for three or four generations into the future.”

For now, we don’t know if we will ever see a Pokémon Smart Ring or Pokémon Smart Glasses, but Ishihara’s comments make one thing clear: The Pokémon Company does not want to stick exclusively to traditional ways of playing.

After all, if Pokémon has managed to move from handheld consoles to smartphones, smartwatches, and other devices, perhaps the franchise’s next big leap will literally be something we wear every day.