Your Pokémon destination

From bursting out of a Pokéball and into the world on February 27, 1996, Pokémon has gone on to become one of the biggest and most influential series in video game history. With content spanning games, trading cards, anime, books, and more, there’s an abundance of all things Pokémon to enjoy.

To help you navigate your way through all things Pokémon on Play, we’ve put everything in one place – along with a couple of fun facts for you to enjoy.

According to an interview in Time, the origins of the Pokémon series can be traced back to the early 1970s. Its creator, Satoshi Tajiri, spent much of his youth searching and collecting bugs and creatures out in the wild suburbs of Tokyo.

As he grew older, and urbanization changed the face of the city he grew up in, he pined to recreate that magic of discovering life in unexpected places. It would take a while until he managed to realize this dream, but eventually he did and the rest is history!

With over 480 million games sold, and over 64.8 billion trading cards produced, it’s safe to say that Pokémon is kind of a big deal.

Its success can be attributed, in part, to just how global the franchise is. With the launch of the Pokémon Red and Green in Japan in February 1996 followed by the Trading Card Game in October and the anime series in 1997 – Pokémon quickly enveloped the world when it arrived in the West in 1998. Now, nearly 30 years later, Pokémon is enjoyed in over 190 countries and brings the world together.