Pokémon (video game series)
| Pokémon | |
|---|---|
| Genre(s) | Role-playing |
| Developer(s) | Game Freak ILCA |
| Publisher(s) |
|
| Creator(s) | Satoshi Tajiri |
| Artist(s) | Ken Sugimori |
| Composer(s) | Junichi Masuda |
| Platform(s) |
|
| First release | Pocket Monsters Red and Green (Japan) February 27, 1996 |
| Latest release | Pokémon Scarlet and Violet November 18, 2022 |
| Spin-offs | See List of Pokémon spin-offs |
Pokémon[a] is a Japanese series of creature collector video games developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo and The Pokémon Company under the Pokémon franchise. It was created by Satoshi Tajiri with assistance from Ken Sugimori. The first games, Pocket Monsters Red and Green, were released in 1996 in Japan for the Game Boy, later released outside of Japan as Pokémon Red Version and Blue Version. The main series of role-playing video games (RPGs), referred as the "core series" by their developers,[1][2][3] has continued on each generation of Nintendo's handhelds. The most recently released core series games, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, were released on November 18, 2022, for the Nintendo Switch.
In addition to Game Freak's development, Creatures provides support through their Pokémon CG Studio, which creates 3D models for the Pokémon in the games, and also develops some spin-off titles. In 1998, Nintendo, Creatures, and Game Freak jointly established The Pokémon Company, which manages licensing, production, publishing, marketing and deals for the franchise both within Asia and worldwide through The Pokémon Company International.[4][5][6]
The core games are released in generations, each with different Pokémon, storylines, and characters. Remakes of the games are usually released around a decade after the original versions for the latest console at the time. While the main series consists of RPGs developed by Game Freak, many spin-off games based on the series have been developed by various companies, encompassing other genres such as action role-playing, puzzle, fighting, and digital pet games.
Pokémon is one of the highest-grossing media franchises of all time, with successful anime series, movies, and merchandise, with spin-off game Pokémon Go having crossed 1 billion mobile game downloads worldwide.[7] By November 24, 2017, more than 300 million Pokémon games had been sold worldwide on handheld and home consoles, across 76 titles, including spin-offs.[8] As of March 2025, the series has sold over 489 million units worldwide.[9] This makes Pokémon the fourth best-selling video game franchise, behind the Mario franchise, Call of Duty, and Tetris.
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- ^ "Iwata Asks". iwataasks.nintendo.com. Archived from the original on June 19, 2018. Retrieved June 25, 2018.
- ^ "Inside the Minds behind Pokémon! | News | Pokemon.com". October 4, 2013. Archived from the original on October 8, 2013. Retrieved June 25, 2018.
- ^ MacDonald, Keza (February 16, 2011). "Pokemon's Master Speaks". IGN. Archived from the original on June 26, 2018. Retrieved June 25, 2018.
- ^ "Pokémon Companies - Serebii.net". www.serebii.net. Archived from the original on December 25, 2022. Retrieved December 25, 2022.
- ^ Baird, Scott (February 3, 2021). "Who Owns The Pokémon Franchise". ScreenRant. Archived from the original on January 23, 2022. Retrieved December 25, 2022.
- ^ "Who Actually Owns Pokemon?". GamerBraves. June 9, 2022. Archived from the original on December 25, 2022. Retrieved December 25, 2022.
- ^ Webster, Andrew (February 28, 2019). "Pokémon Go spurred an amazing era that continues with Sword and Shield". The Verge. Archived from the original on July 15, 2019. Retrieved March 1, 2019.
- ^ "『ポケットモンスター』 関連ゲームソフトの世界累計出荷本数が3億本を突破！". November 24, 2017. Archived from the original on August 17, 2020. Retrieved April 2, 2020.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
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