Apple CEO Tim Cook stated in a video that the agenda at Apple Park that day was to introduce the Pokémon team to John, discuss games, and politely advise Pikachu to stay away from the pool, accomplishing two out of three tasks. In the video, Pikachu is seen walking under a rainbow arch, looking at the iPhone in the visitor center window, reaching for apples in the orchard, and heading towards the pool.

The John in the footage is incoming CEO John Ternus. Also present was Tsunekazu Ishihara, president of The Pokémon Company. Cook held an apple while Ternus had his hand on Pikachu's back; Ishihara then raised an iPhone and released an Apple Dragon in the park using Pokémon GO. No meeting minutes were released, nor were any new games, devices, or revenue-sharing agreements announced.

Ternus is set to take over on September 1, with Cook transitioning to executive chairman. The board unanimously approved the handover in April. The visit occurred in the last week before his departure and just eight days before the fall event on September 9, where new hardware, including the new iPhone, is expected to be discussed. Ternus has long overseen hardware engineering and has a lower public profile than Cook, making this park stroll a way to complete the handover with a top gaming IP.

The Pokémon team is visiting the park on their way to the Pokémon Trading Card Game World Championships in San Francisco from August 28 to 30. Cook had previously met Pikachu during his visit to Japan for the reopening of the Ginza Apple Store in September 2025 and experienced the Dragon Ball mobile game at Bandai Namco. Apple has long hosted products like Pokémon GO, Pokémon Unite, the card pocket app, and Pokémon Champions on its platform.

This visit comes during a period of pressure on mobile game revenues. Sensor Tower reported a 4.5% year-on-year decline in global mobile game revenue for Q2 2026; Apple's CFO attributed part of the slowdown in App Store growth to headwinds in mobile gaming during the Q3 earnings call. Neither the company nor the IP holders framed the park meeting as a strategic announcement, instead presenting it as a shareable handover ceremony.

The buyer is the game IP holder looking to maintain exposure within Apple's distribution system and wanting to see the new leader "talking games" with developers and shareholders. The seller is Apple: using the park and Pikachu footage to transform the successor narrative from an internal memo into public memory. Funding continues to flow through app store revenue sharing and hardware preheating, rather than a previously announced joint production. Beneficiaries include the Pokémon mobile product line, which needs a friendly regulatory environment, and Apple PR, which needs to soften the handover's abruptness. The pressure is on the declining in-game purchases in mobile games and the need for investors to interpret "talking games" without any announcements. The driving force behind the event is the handover clock, not a new contract.

Source: Public information