News – Pokémon @ 20 Years Old

Pokémon is 20 years old, well on 27th February to be precise. Can you believe it? Despite 1996 only feeling like yesterday, a lot can happen in 20 years. In fact, in this time Pokémon has risen to become one of the most successful Video Game franchises of all time, now sitting second only to Super Mario. However, Pokémon is more than just the main series of games. There’s also spin-off games, trading cards, anime, manga, and a whole lot more.  Best of all, all this history can be re-visited through this very special timeline website launched by The Pokémon Company.

So it’s fitting that The Pokémon Company wants to celebrate this momentous event in style, and this week we were given a taster of how they’re going to do it. This can be seen in the short trailer below, which also introduces the anniversary hashtag of #Pokemon20, and the slogan of “Train On”. However, let’s just say this isn’t going to be a small celebration by any stretch of the imagination.

In fact, they’re going to be starting things off in one of the biggest ways possible, a brand new Pokémon advertisement that will air during Super Bowl 50 on 7th February. Given that a 30 second Super Bowl ad could set you back a massive $5 million, there’s a good chance we’re getting a brand new announcement. However, at present all The Pokémon Company have said is that this video:

will encourage fans to Train On

This will then of course be followed on the actual 20th Anniversary of Pokémon Red / Green / Blue, with the previously announced eShop re-release of all three plus Pokémon Yellow. On top of this there will also be a brand new 3DS hardware bundle that will come with both Red & Blue pre-installed, along with face plates of the original covers. Finally, lucky Japanese gamers can also grab any of these four games in a limited edition boxed copy, that comes filled with extra memorabilia.

This isn’t the end of the celebrations when it comes to the games either. On top of these retro re-releases, this year will also see the release of the Tekken inspired Pokkén tournament, which will include many retro favourites such as Pikachu, Gengar, and Mewtwo. Moreover, we’ll also see the release of the interesting Pokémon AR project that we’ve mentioned before here at Rings & Coins, Pokémon Go.

That’s not all though, there’ll also be limited edition Pokémon being given away all year long through special events. These can be redeemed on either X / Y or Omega Ruby / Alpha Sapphire, and first up is the talk of the 90s school ground, the illusive 151st Pokémon, Mew. However, we’re not finished yet, as this celebration will include far more than just games.

Tapping into the heart of everyone’s retro memories for this well-loved franchise, The Pokémon Company will also be re-releasing classic trading cards from the past.  This comes through the Pokémon Trading Card Game Red and Blue collections, alongside a set of new releases entitled “Generations”. The generations expansion is set to:

cover every stage of a Trainer’s journey, from the choice of a first partner Pokémon to the most elite of Trainer battles.

Moreover, we’ll also be getting remastered Blu Ray versions of the first three Pokémon movies, alongside the digital release of 12 of the 18 made Pokémon movies on iTunes, Google Play, and Amazon. Finally, there’ll be a range of anniversary goods available throughout the year to celebrate this occasion. And this is just what’s been announced so far!

This celebration is all about going back to 1996 and to where it all started, and I for one cannot wait, especially when it comes to what’s going to be in that Super Bowl commercial. Like a kid on Christmas Eve, I just want the celebrations to begin right now. Of course that does mean that if you hadn’t already guessed, we here at Rings & Coins will be celebrating this occasion next month and all year long. So keep your eyes peeled for all sorts of retro Pokémon coverage.