Why We Created “Pokémon Sleep”

1. A Game that Makes Morning Something to Look Forward To

Sleep is an indispensable part of our everyday lives, yet how many of us feel truly rested?

To find out, The Pokémon Company conducted a survey on sleep awareness. We found that while 90% of respondents consider sleep important for physical and mental wellbeing, nearly half remain dissatisfied with the quality of their sleep.

Over the years, we have consistently looked for ways to change the way daily routines are viewed, from transforming walking into a Pokémon search with “Pokémon GO,” to making toothbrushing fun with “Pokémon Smile.”

For our next challenge, we asked ourselves if we could make daily life more interesting by gamifying sleep. That question led to the “Pokémon Sleep” project, an initiative to create an app that tracks sleep and makes waking up every morning a joy.

2. Creating New Experiences Through Sleep and Gameplay

While many apps visualize sleep data, few focus on bringing enjoyment to the act of sleep itself. Our development team went through constant trial and error as they explored ways to gamify sleep.

Early concepts included a “Pokémon Day Care*” where players raised Pokémon by sleeping, or a feature where users could watch videos of Pokémon visiting them during the night.

However, we eventually realized that watching videos immediately after waking up might tempt users to stay in bed or fall back asleep again. To encourage a healthy start to the day, the team pivoted to the core mechanic of photographing and collecting Pokémon’s sleep styles.

3. Developing an App That Deepens Our Understanding of Sleep

To ensure the accuracy of our sleep tracking, we collaborated with Dr. Masashi Yanagisawa, a leading sleep researcher and President of S’UIMIN inc. Under Dr.Yanagisawa’s supervision, we learned about the critical importance of maintaining consistent sleep rhythms. We used his expertise to design a system where better sleep habits reward players with more Pokémon and sleep styles.

Dr. Yanagisawa also shared his expertise  on several related topics, such as “social jet lag,” which is the performance dip caused by irregular sleep patterns between workdays and days off. He also debunked the myth of “storing up” sleep, explaining that while extra rest can temporarily offset a deficit, it’s impossible to sleep in advance to prepare for future exhaustion.

We integrated these findings into the app through “Sleep Tips,” allowing players to gain practical knowledge for better sleep as they use the app.

While these tips cover the basics, the world of sleep remains a complex and mysterious field.

4. Capturing the Charm of the Pokémon World

To ensure the Pokémon were presented faithfully, we partnered with Kunihiko Yuyama and Daiki Tomiyasu, renowned directors of the Pokémon TV anime series. The two of them handled the storyboard production and animation direction.

The development team focused on details like Pokémon’s facial expressions, breathing, yawning, and relaxed posing while asleep. 

These details were then integrated into the storyboards, resulting in animations that capture the endearing charm of each Pokémon. Furthermore, we gave each sleep style a unique name to add a touch of humor and help players form a deeper connection with the Pokémon they encounter.

Finally, we made a strong effort to localize the names into eight languages, so that people around the world can enjoy the shared Pokémon universe.

Music also plays a vital role in expressing the world of Pokémon.

We commissioned Shota Kageyama, a veteran composer of the Pokémon video game series, to produce the music and sound effects.

One of his greatest contributions was creating unique themes for each island where Snorlax lives. He meticulously arranged these tracks into three variations: morning, afternoon, and night, to create a rich and immersive atmosphere.

Through these efforts, we successfully brought together sleep science and the beloved world of Pokémon.

5. Getting a Good Night’s Sleep With Pokémon

“Pokémon Sleep” is the result of a combined effort between sleep experts and the creative minds behind Pokémon. Throughout development, our development team remained committed to a “sleep-first” philosophy.

“We intentionally did not design the app around rewarding specific sleep schedules, such as ‘early bird’ or ‘night owl,’” one developer explained.” Doing so might encourage users to stay up late or cut their sleep short to  catch certain Pokémon, which would not result in regular sleeping habits.”

Instead, the app rewards the rhythm and quality of sleep. By encouraging healthy sleep patterns, we hope to help users find their ideal balance.

Every time you wake up, you can discover how your Pokémon partner slept that night. You may even find that you were dreaming alongside them all along.