Pokemon at 30: Fans explain what the series means to them

"When the first games were released on Nintendo's Game Boy handheld in 1996, they weren't expected to be a huge hit. But strong word-of-mouth and the console's low price helped it to sell more than one million copies in its first year on sale."

"The brand sparked a second global trend with the launch of mobile phone game Pokemon GO, which used a device's GPS and camera to place monsters in the real world, in 2016. That app has since been downloaded more than a billion times."

"Reportedly the highest-grossing media franchise in history, Pokemon is still a cultural phenomenon today, reaching new generations of fans across the world."

Pokemon launched in Japan 30 years ago as Pocket Monsters and evolved into a global behemoth. The Game Boy games released in 1996 exceeded expectations, selling over one million copies in the first year through word-of-mouth and affordable pricing. An animated series and Trading Card Game sparked "Pokemania," a massive global craze. Pokemon GO's 2016 launch created a second wave of popularity using GPS and camera technology, accumulating over one billion downloads. The COVID-19 pandemic triggered increased interest in Pokemon content, particularly trading cards. The franchise remains the highest-grossing media franchise in history, continuously reaching new audiences worldwide.

Read at www.bbc.com