Pokémon is thrilled to announce 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.
VIDEO GAMES
In a fitting tribute to where it all began, Pokémon Red Version, Pokémon Blue Version, and Pokémon Yellow Version will be released as digital downloads on Nintendo eShop for the Nintendo 3DS family of systems on February 27. Pokémon Red Version and Pokémon Blue Version will also be included in a New Nintendo 3DS bundle. The New Nintendo 3DS Pokémon 20th Anniversary bundle will come with Pokémon Red Version and Pokémon Blue Version pre-installed, two unique cover plates featuring artwork from the original Pokémon Red Version and Pokémon Blue Version game boxes and the Pokémon 20th logo, and a download code for an exclusive Nintendo 3DS Pokémon HOME Menu theme. The commemorative New Nintendo 3DS bundle will be available on February 27 at retail locations.
POKÉMON TCG
Pokémon TCG fans can celebrate 20 years of Pokémon with the Pokémon TCG: Generations expansion (Pokemon.com/20). This special expansion covers every stage of a Trainer’s journey, from the choice of a first partner Pokémon to the most elite of Trainer battles. Featuring Pikachu, Snorlax, Ninetales-EX, Jolteon-EX, plus Mega Charizard-EX, Mega Blastoise-EX, and Mega Venusaur-EX, the Generations expansion will be available in February. Generations booster packs will be available within specially labeled and designed Pokémon TCG products released as part of the Pokémon 20th celebration, starting with the first Pokémon TCG: Mythical Pokémon Collection coming in late February. A total of 11 Mythical Pokémon Collections will be released throughout 2016, each containing two Generations booster packs. In addition, four Pokémon TCG: Red & Blue Collections focused on the original superstars of the Pokémon world, each containing four Generations booster packs, will be released in 2016.
RETAIL
The celebration continues with special retail events. Four Mythical Pokémon video game character distribution events will take place at participating GameStop locations throughout 2016, with one being distributed each quarter. Fans will need to have Pokémon Omega Ruby, Pokémon Alpha Sapphire, Pokémon X, or Pokémon Y, and a system from the Nintendo 3DS family to receive Mew, Darkrai, Arceus, and Genesect.
On Pokémon Day, February 27, at participating Toys“R”Us locations, fans can receive special foil Pokémon TCG cards featuring Pikachu and Magikarp from the Generations expansion, a Pokémon activity book, and a poster of the original 151 Pokémon, while supplies last. Toys“R”Us will also have an exclusive Generations-themed folio available for purchase to collect the new expansion.
ANIMATION
Beginning in January and continuing throughout the year, 12 full-length Pokémon feature films will be available for digital download from iTunes, Google Play, and Amazon. Among the releases will be digitally remastered versions of Pokémon: The First Movie and Pokémon the Movie 2000 and Pokémon 3: The Movie. In addition, Pokémon TV, available on Pokemon.com, Roku, Chromecast, and Amazon Fire platforms, will feature one film title per month to align with other Pokémon brand activities. The first three Pokémon films will also be available in both DVD and Blu-ray formatted bundles from licensee Viz Media.
A 48-page interactive digital reader will accompany Pokémon: The First Movie and can be viewed on any device that supports iBooks, including Mac, iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch.
MERCHANDISE
Fans can celebrate 20 years of Pokémon in style with new apparel, accessories, and souvenirs available only at PokemonCenter.com. They can find everything from a special Pokémon 20th baseball cap by New Era to a commemorative pin and lanyard set. Pokémon 20th TCG accessories, such as card sleeves, deck boxes, playmats, and much more, are available for fans of all ages. Limited-edition Pokémon 20th figures and plush items from TOMY International, Pokémon’s master toy licensee, will also be available at participating retail locations.
Pokémon. Twenty years. Train On.
Source: PR
This year is going to be amazing for Pokemon fans
Happy Birthday, Pokemon. Thanks for all the memories.
Hey, maybe I’ll get back into competitive battling as a little thank you. If that could be counted as one… lol
I kind of hope that Pokemon Z will release this year, instead of any sort of Gen 7. Because, if Gen 7 gets released, that means Gen 6 would be “finished”, and Kalos would remain the way it is (which in my opinion is a very lackluster region). That would mean, no further exploration of (slight spoilers) AZ’s story, plenty of unfulfilled setups for a third version, and a most likely unexplored Zygarde (not including the animated series’ movie’s explorations of Zygarde).
And also, it would be madness for Game Freak to not release a main series game this year, let’s be honest.
Haha no shit. There’s no way they wouldn’t cash in on this.
I can not wait for pokemon red. I wish they would release it on wii u too! 😃 lol
>>>Why? You can already play it now and it doesn’t even have online>>>
I’d want it on Wii U to simply be able to be able to record gameplay without having to use my camera
Lol
20 years of catching ’em all. Pikachu should be very proud to be a part of that milestone.
Raichu gets no love
Whoa, a North American non-XL New 3DS without Happy Home Designer?! And with two faceplate sets to boot?!
HYPE
i agree man :D
I want that new 3ds bundle. I’ve been waiting for one besides animal crossing.
Oh my god hype!
maybe they are planing something big for this year i think it will be more big like sonic’s 25th anniversary this year
can’t wait for the metroid celebration oh wait…
>>>Cancellation of Federation Force would be celebration enough>>>
It truly sucks, and is quite fucking pathetic, atrocious, & insulting, when the best celebration of the series we can get is actually the CANCELLATION of a Metroid game. *sigh* But such is the position Nintendo is putting us in right now. Least the casuals with no respect to Metroid’s story, artstyle, & atmosphere will be pleased when Federation Farce releases.
>>>Hopefully once The First Order of Nintendo is fullt established, the civilian menace will be centimated permanently just like in the other galaxy…>>>
Centimated? Don’t you mean decimated? Oh & you put a t in fully where the y should have gone. Yeah. You definitely got a glitch infecting your processors.
>>>I thought I fixed it but yes some glitch>>>
>>>I just invented the word and it means one hundred times higher instead of 1/100>>>
>>>In other words the opposite of decimation when it comes to definition as decimation is 1/10 of course>>>
Aggghhh I want that N3DS, but with all these rumors of NX and how it might be a handheld I don’t want to pull the trigger just yet. This sucks!
If you’re the type to keep your console or handheld for a couple of years even when the new generation releases, just pull the trigger already. If you have the cool kind of Gamestop, you could trade in your current 3DS for the new one, transfer your stuff while in the store, & boom! You get the n3DS for a cheaper price because you traded in the old 3DS for the new one.
Of course, this wouldn’t be a fucking issue if Nintendo had a fucking universal account system with fucking cloud storage!
But knowing the stubborn idiots at NintenD’OH! *facepalm*, they’d probably have even that tied down to some physical bullshit.
Man I really hope DeNA fixes Nintys whole Account system. The one we have now (if it can even be called a system) is horrible. A train wreck.
Well no, I wouldn’t trade it in, that’s the problem. I do keep mine but I already have 4 3DS’s. I wouldn’t mind getting this one, but I want to be sure that I’m not going to have to upgrade any time soon to the 3DS succesor. I would love this one, but knowing that I’m probably only going to use it for a few months would pist me off to no end. -_- nothing to do but wait.
A new main entry into the series or a new game where I can directly play as Eevee that isn’t a fucking casual cash grab please. Pokken Tournament alone isn’t good enough of a celebration for me.
This stuff is hype, but STILL no announcement for the next main series Pokemon game?
You see this? THIS is how you do an anniversary! I know a few companies who could take notes.
It’s like a big birthday party-…
Where your wallets scream for mercy.
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