Pokémon is turning 25 this year, and the beloved franchise is celebrating the milestone with virtual events, promotional items, new games and more. The Pokémon Company even launched a new website so fans can keep up with festivities as they unfold.
Comicbook.com reports that, throughout the year, the Pokémon Company will release promotional items with bevy of collaborators, including Build-A-Bear Workshop, General Mills, Levi’s, Jazwares, Scholastic, Mattel, Funko, PowerA, the Wand Company and McDonald’s.
Pokémon’s collaboration with McDonald’s launched on Feb. 9 as select locations began handing out special 25th anniversary trading cards with Happy Meals. According to Polygon, McDonald’s patrons are already having a tough time tracking down the promotional cards as people have been purchasing Happy Meals in mass quantities since the promotion was announced.
On Feb. 11, the official Pokémon Twitter account posted a short video announcing that pop star Post Malone will headline a virtual concert on Feb. 27 to celebrate Pokémon Day.
Scott Baird at ScreenRant believes the Pokémon Company will also reveal big news regarding the future of the Pokémon video game franchise on Pokémon Day. In an article published earlier this week he wrote:
“The future for the Pokémon franchise is currently uncertain, as there are no upcoming mainline entries on the schedule. The Pokémon Company is likely saving its announcements for the end of the month, as Pokémon Day falls on Feb. 27, marking the 25th anniversary of the series.”
As it stands, there is only one new Pokémon game on the horizon with an official release date. “New Pokémon Snap” is slated to hit retailers nationwide on April 30.
The celebrations will also extend into existing Pokémon properties as the popular mobile game “Pokémon Go” will hold a special anniversary event on Feb. 20. According to Today, the special event, which will be accessible as an extra purchase within the app, will take players back to the early days of the franchise making the first 150 Pokémon available to catch in the game.
The anniversary festivities officially kicked off in January when the Pokémon Company posted a two-minute celebration video on YouTube. The video shows a series of pokéballs rolling through a Pokémon-themed Rube Goldberg machine.
As previously reported by the Deseret News, the end of the video reveals that pop icon Katy Perry will be collaborating with the Pokémon Company throughout the year, recording new Pokémon-themed songs with Universal Music Group.
You can can watch the full video here: