This included games that were published by Nintendo on the Nintendo Entertainment system NES and Game Boy like Yoshi, and even games for SEGA like Magical Tarurūto-kun on consoles such as the Sega Master system 1 and 2, and the popular Sega Mega Drive.
When Tajiri and Co. introduced the idea of Pokémon to Nintendo, however, the publishers were a bit
flummoxed and didn’t really get the concept. However, Tajiri was given the benefit of the doubt thanks to the previous success of Game Freak’s earlier works, and they also considered his tutelage under the mentor Shigeru Miyamoto to create Pocket Monsters: Red and Green, a game which combined the collecting and trading of monsters.
And so began the meteoric rise of a franchise that would go on to become the second largest gaming franchise of all time. (A close second to the ever-popular Super Mario series, also owned by Nintendo.

The date of 26 February 1996, would be revered among Pokemon fans the world over as it ushered in the debut of the Pokémon franchise in the form of both those games on the Nintendo Game Boy. At its core, Pocket Monsters: Red and Green was a very basic Japanese role-playing game. You play as
a Pokémon trainer travelling the world and collecting the ubiquitous little monsters (inspired by Tajiri’s childhood love for insect collection) and training them in battles with other Pokémon. What was so innovative about this product was that gamers could connect to each other’s Gameboys using a data cord and trade Pokemon with each other.

The games went on to sell millions of copies, and were soon unleashed
on the US market in 1998, with the United Kingdom and the rest of the world a year later, as a Red and Blue version (instead of Green).
They also shortened and adapted the game title from Pocket Monsters to Pokémon.
Since this auspicious launch, seven more generations of Pokémon games have been released, from Gold and Silver, to Ruby and Sapphire, Diamond and Pearl, Black and White, X and Y, Sun and Moon, and most recently Sword and Shield. The game also evolved to Pokemon GO: the popular phone game app that was made even more immersive and innovative by including real world maps, allowing users to find Pokemon as they walked around their local neighbourhoods and catching them with their phone. (certainly a great way to get those daily steps in).
With each new generation more Pokémon joined the games, in fact there are now around 898 different species of Pokémon! (So it’s going to take a long time to Catch ‘Em All!)

After the worldwide success of the first few games, the company Media Factory created the Pokémon Trading Card Game (or TCG for short).

The first set of cards were produced on October 20, 1996, containing 102 cards, and included detailed drawings by Ken Sugimori, Mitsuhiro Arita and Keiji Kinebuchi. The cards grew very quicklyin popularity, and three years later in 1999, they were introduced to North America by Wizards of the Coast and soon after, had a worldwide release, much like the video games, that were a hit in the rest of the world.

Pokémon card tournaments sprang up all around the USA and worldwide, where players could duke it out, forging the way for the renowned world championship tournament.
Since their inception, more than 30 billion cards have been printed, with a few connoisseurs paying hundreds of thousands of pounds for some of the rarest of cards. The most expensive sale to date: the 1 PSA 10 Illustrator Pikachu was bought by YouTube influencer Logan Paul in 2022 at an approximate value of $5.275 million dollars, making it the most expensive Pokémon card ever sold.
The Pokemon brand is still to this day one of the most iconic of trading cards, and refuses to end its successive run, with local and international tournaments currently taking place in 2024, and consumer demand for each of the cards is still sky high.

Rumours have hit the international
market that the phenomon that is Pokemon is set to launch a new series of the game, especially in the online component, while Pokemon Scarlet and Violet in 2024 are almost
unanimously getting new events, such as special Tera Raid bosses or Mass Outbreaks, TPCi may reveal that both Pokemon Johto and Unova games could be next in the pipeline, and they would likely take the internet by storm now after all the rumors, and possibly taking over as the company’s main project. At the moment, consumers are looking toward 2025, when Gen 10 could be announced and released, but The Pokemon Company may decide to wait a bit longer and break their traditional three-year development cycle for the latest instalment of games and trading options.

Whatever the future of the Pokemon Empire, there is no doubt of the impact Pokemon has had on modern culture, and still appears to makes waves in 2024.