Pokémon Celebrates 20 Years with Ad in Super Bowl 50

Celebration of iconic brand will continue throughout 2016 with special products and events BELLEVUE, Wash.—January 12, 2016— 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 character 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 the 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, where 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 Pokemon 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 look-out 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 the 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, and 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. The first two releases will be Pokémon: The First Movie and Pokémon the Movie 2000, both digitally remastered. 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.

Press Release - Europe UK - Pokémon Celebrates 20 Years of Gotta Catch ’Em All

Pokémon. Twenty Years. Train On. The Pokémon Company International announces a collection of activities to celebrate 20 years of the iconic brand

2016 will be a landmark year for the Pokémon Company International. On February 27, Pokémon celebrates 20 years since the first games launched in Japan. The company is gearing up for a period of festivities centered around the best-known Pokémon experiences—video games, Trading Card Game (TCG) and animation…plus much more!

Since the video games Pokémon Red and Pokémon Green were first launched in Japan for the Nintendo Game Boy in 1996, Pokémon has delighted fans around the world. Over the past two decades it has become a hugely successful and popular entertainment brand and continues to be held dear by fans of all ages. More than 275 million copies of Pokémon video games have been sold worldwide, 21.5 billion TCG cards have been shipped to 74 countries in 11 languages and over 450,000 players take part in Pokémon events every year. There are also more than 800 episodes spanning 18 seasons of the animated TV show.

Pokémon fans can follow all the 2016 celebrations at Pokemon.co.uk/20, where they’ll find information about events, product details, and video messages from some of Pokémon’s best-known followers. They are also encouraged to join the conversation by sharing their own memories of Pokémon using the hashtag #Pokemon20 on Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

To kick off the year-long celebrations in style, a new TV commercial will air during the US Super Bowl 50 on Sunday, February 7. From then on, a series of exciting activities are planned to mark Pokémon’s milestone year. A special app—Pokémon Photo Booth—has been designed for the occasion and will be available to download at no charge for iPhone and Android later this year. Numerous limited-edition toys, figurines and plush items from TOMY will be available to be discovered and collected at participating retail locations. The fun will continue throughout 2016 with new video game releases, TCG expansions, movies and more.

VIDEO GAME

Timed to coincide with the birth date of Pokémon on February 27, the games that started it all—Pokémon Red, Pokémon Blue and Pokémon Yellow—will be relaunched on Nintendo eShop for systems in the Nintendo 3DS family .

On the same day, three new Nintendo 2DS Special Edition bundles, sure to trigger warm feelings of nostalgia, will also launch. The Special Edition bundles include a Nintendo 2DS system in transparent red, blue or yellow and are pre-installed with Pokémon Red, Pokémon Blue or Pokémon Yellow: Special Pikachu Edition, corresponding to the system’s colour. These Nintendo 2DS Special Edition bundles feature classic packaging reminiscent of the original Game Boy games, a sheet of 15 stickers that can be used to customise the system and a download code for a HOME Menu theme.

Numerous collectible Pokémon characters will be distributed to owners of the hugely successful Nintendo 3DS games Pokémon Omega Ruby, Pokémon Alpha Sapphire, Pokémon X and Pokémon Y throughout the year . Mew, Darkrai, Arceus and other popular Pokémon will be distributed via various methods in Europe, bringing fans a number of Pokémon to collect throughout the 2016 celebrations!

POKÉMON TRADING CARD GAME (TCG)

Pokémon TCG fans can celebrate 20 years of Pokémon with the Pokémon TCG: Generations expansion. It contains more than 110 cards to collect and play with, including Pikachu, Snorlax, Ninetales-EX, Jolteon-EX, plus Mega Charizard-EX, Mega Blastoise-EX and Mega Venusaur-EX. The expansion covers every stage of a Trainer’s journey, from the choice of a first partner Pokémon to the most elite of Trainer battles.

Pokémon TCG: Generations boosters will be available within the specially labelled and designed range for this special year, starting with the first Mythical Collection released in late February in the UK and Germany and slightly later in other European countries. New Mythical Pokémon Collections will be released throughout 2016, each containing additional Pokémon TCG: Generations boosters, and four Red & Blue Collection boxes will be released containing even more boosters.

TV ANIMATION

Pokémon fans can look forward to a programme of promotional stunts with broadcast and video-on-demand (VOD) platform partners screening the animated series and movies to celebrate 20 years of Pokémon. Beginning early 2016 and continuing throughout the year, several Pokémon full-length feature films will be screened by key broadcasting partners across Europe. The same films will also become available for digital download from key VOD platforms such as iTunes, Google Play and Amazon.* Pokémon movies will also be featured on Pokémon TV each month.

An interactive iBook will accompany the release of Pokémon: The First Movie on iTunes and can be viewed in English on any device that supports iBooks, including Mac, iPad, iPhone and iPod touch.

The year-long programme of screenings will kick off with digitally remastered versions of the first two feature-length Pokémon movies, Pokémon: The First Movie and Pokémon: The Movie 2000, with more slated to follow throughout the celebrations.

20 YEARS OF POKÉMON: IT’S JUST THE BEGINNING!

Pokémon is respected for its quality, adaptability and attention to detail. The joy of collecting, battling and trading runs through everything the company does. Consistently innovating and moving with the times, Pokémon is a brand that combines a deep and respected heritage with a strong and exciting future. Pokémon fans are a unique band, spanning a range of ages and interests; they have been—and continue to be—a positive, committed, sociable and interactive community like no other fan base.

2016 will be a landmark year for Pokémon in many ways. Not only will the Pokémon Company International celebrate a rich 20 years of history, it will also evolve by developing plans for a bright future!

New video game titles are slated for release during early 2016—Pokkén Tournament arrives in spring 2016 for Wii U, Pokémon Rumble World releases on January 22 and Pokémon Super Mystery Dungeon releases on February 19 for the Nintendo 3DS family systems. 2016 will also see Pokémon fans catching ’em all in the real world with the release of Pokémon GO, a game for mobile devices which was announced in September 2015. The project is a collaboration between the Pokémon Company, Niantic, Inc., and Nintendo Co., Ltd. It is a groundbreaking mobile game designed to encourage fans to search far and wide in the real world to discover Pokémon. Pokémon GO will be available for download at no charge on the App Store and Google Play in 2016.