Pokémon has excitedly announced that 2016 will be a year-long celebration of the past, present, and future of the 20-year-old brand. First introduced in Japan in 1996 with the video games Pokémon Red and Pokémon Green for the Game Boy system, Pokémon has delighted fans of all ages around the world for two decades. With more than 275 million video games sold worldwide, 21.5 billion TCG cards shipped to 74 countries, and an animated series spanning 18 seasons, Pokémon is one of the most successful entertainment brands in the world.
To kick-start the celebration, The Pokémon Company International announced today that it will air a new ad during SUPER BOWL 50 on Sunday, February 7, which will encourage fans to Train On. In that spirit, fans are encouraged to share their favorite Pokémon memories on Twitter, Instagram, and Youtube using the hashtag #Pokemon20.
On Pokémon Day, February 27, fans can join in on the fun at special events at participating retail locations across the country. More details can be found at Pokemon.com/20. Fans visiting the site throughout the year will find information about monthly Mythical Pokémon distributions, retail events, special products, messages from some of Pokémon’s biggest fans, and the upcoming Pokémon Photo Booth app.
In addition to all of these great ways to celebrate 20 years of Pokémon, there is much more to come in 2016. This spring, Pokkén Tournament (Pokemon.com/PokkenTournament) for the Wii U console will bring Pokémon to life in a way never seen before: Pokémon battle in direct response to the player’s actions.
Pokémon GO (Pokemon.com/GO), a ground-breaking mobile game that will encourage fans to search far and wide in the real world to discover Pokémon, launches later this year. To coincide with Pokémon Day on February 27, Nintendo will also make some of their best-selling Pokémon amiibo available again, at select retailers only. Fans should be on the lookout for Charizard, Jigglypuff, Greninja, and Lucario to join Pikachu at stores nationwide.
