Pokemon
Pokemon
The most expensive Pokemon TCG cards from Crown Zenith
Olivia Richman
Pokemon TCG players have been obsessing over the Crown Zenith expansion ever since it dropped on January 20, 2023. The set has some high-value cards that are sought after by the Pokemon community. Crown Zenith is the final TCG expansion for Pokemon Sword and Shield. It’s known as a High Class set, which means every pack includes at least one V, VMAX, or VSTAR. There is also a one in …
Pokemon
2023 Lunar New Year event in Pokemon Go
William Davis
Celebrate the Lunar New Year event in Pokemon Go with new research, bonuses, and raids. The Lunar New Year event in Pokemon Go is part of Season 9, Mythical Wishes. It started on December 1 and will run through March 1. Mythical Wishes included the Winter Holiday Party, now the Lunar New Year, and in February, Valentine’s Day. 2023 is the year of the rabbit, and Pokemon is commemorating it …
Pokemon
Greninja is the next seven-star Tera Raid Battle
William Davis
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet announced the next seven-star Tera Raid Battle featuring Greninja. The event will run through two different weekends, where players will have the opportunity to catch Greninja. Seven-star Tera Raid Battles are the toughest battles in the game, requiring high-level Pokemon with specific moves. These limited-time events run for three days at a time, two times, and feature Pokemon that is unattainable any other way. The first …
Pokemon
Here’s everything we know about Pokemon’s beloved Ash Ketchum
William Davis
Ash Ketchum is one of the most beloved anime characters in history. The main character of Pokemon, made his debut in 1997. It’s been 25 years since he started his journey, and a lot has changed, so it is easy to forget everything we know about Ash Ketchum. Ash Ketchum is Pokemon trainer from Pallet Town in Kanto. At 10 years old, Ash started his journey to becoming a Pokemon …
How to get a shiny Zekrom in Pokemon Go
William Davis
Pokemon
Zekrom is back in Pokemon Go for the first time since 2021. This Pokemon will be available for a limited time, so this is your opportunity to catch a shiny Zekrom. Zekrom is a dual Dragon and Electric type from the Unova region. It is part of the Tao Trio with Reshiram and Kyurem. Zekrom doesn’t have an evolution. Zekrom appeared on Pokemon Go for the first time in June …
Rarest Pokémon in Scarlet and Violet, and how to get them
William Davis
Pokemon
With the release of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, the National Pokedex has surpassed 1,000 entries. Four hundred of these Pokémon inhabit Paldea, but some are harder to find than others. The list of rarest Pokémon in Scarlet and Violet includes some familiar Pokémon that you wouldn’t expect to be on this list. Paldea is home to the ninth generation of Pokémon. This region has plenty of original Pokémon, as well …
The best Pokémon plushies you should have in 2023
Olivia Richman
Pokemon
Pokémon are for more than just battling. There are some Pokémon that are perfect for cuddling, whether it’s due to their adorable features, softness, or roundness. If you’re looking for your own Pokémon to cuddle, check out these best Pokémon plushies to display or add to your bed! Some of the best Pokémon plush are life-size! They make the most perfect pillows and companions due to their immense size. This …
Best Pokemon for Tera Raid Battles for Scarlet & Violet
William Davis
Pokemon
The Tera Raid Battles are one of the innovations introduced by Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. In these encounters, players get the opportunity to catch stronger Pokemon and some that are not available outside of the raid. Preparing a team for the Tera Raid Battles requires planning and strategy. A Tera Raid Battle is a battle where four trainers take on a wild Terastalized Pokemon. All trainers attack at the same …
Will Pokemon Home be available for Scarlet and Violet?
William Davis
Pokemon
If you are one of those players that are interested in completing the Pokedex and catching every single Pokemon in existence, you need the correct tools. There are over 1,000 Pokemon, including 400 from the Paldea region. Storing and saving all these Pokemon require space, so you might be wondering, will Pokemon Home be available for Scarlet and Violet? Pokemon Home is a cloud service available as an app for …
How to get Mega Energy in Pokemon Go
William Davis
Pokemon
Mega Evolutions were introduced in the sixth generation with Pokemon X and Y, released in 2013. All the games that followed have some kind of Mega Evolution, including Pokemon Go. In this game, players need Mega Energy to Mega Evolve their Pokemon. Figuring out how to get Mega Energy in Pokemon Go is an important lesson that all Pokemon Go players need to learn. Pokemon Go added Mega Evolutions in …
Location and details of Pokemon Centers around the world
William Davis
Pokemon
A Pokemon Center is a place where Pokemon rest and recover from battle. Pokemon Centers are a constant in all the games, but did you know you could go to a Pokemon Center in the real world? Here are the location and details of Pokemon Centers around the world. Do not expect to find Nurse Joy at these locations. The Pokemon Center is a merch store with a Pokemon Card …
Which Pokémon games can be played on PC?
William Davis
Pokemon
Pokemon is one of the most popular franchises in the world. Even if someone hasn’t played the game or watched the anime, they will probably recognize Pikachu. The story of Pokemon is closely linked to the story of Nintendo, but the game has expanded to other platforms. Considering that, which Pokemon games can be played on PC? Pokemon divides its games into main games and side series. Pokemon Scarlet and …
Everything we know about Avalugg in Pokémon GO
William Davis
Pokemon
Avalugg has become a staple of Pokemon GO for the holidays. This Pokémon first joined the game in December 2021 and the Hisuian variant was added during the winter season of 2022. Avalugg is an Ice type Pokémon from the Kalos region. It first appeared on Pokémon X and Y. Pokémon Legends: Arceus introduced Hisuian Avalugg, an Ice and Rock type. Hisui is the region where Arceus and the first …
What is a Shadow Pokémon?
William Davis
Pokemon
There is an unofficial type of Pokémon that exists in multiple games that not many players know about. Here, we’ll explain what is a Shadow Pokémon so you can better understand these mysterious creatures. Shadow Pokémon should not be confused with Dark-type Pokémon, these are two very different categories. A Shadow Pokémon is a man-created Pokémon without emotions. Shadow Pokémon are used by Cipher, the villain team in Pokémon Colosseum …
Why are Houndstone and Palafin banned in Scarlet & Violet?
William Davis
Pokemon
Houndstone and Palafin are two amazing new Pokémon added in Scarlet and Violet, so why were they banned just weeks after their debut? Now that gamers have had time to complete the main story and adapt to the new raid battle mechanic, many players have turned their heads towards competitive battling. Whether in the game itself or on clients like Pokémon Showdown, the community is just now starting to pick …
How does the Pokemon weakness chart work?
William Davis
Pokemon
The Pokemon weakness chart is one of the tools that every trainer will use as they try to advance through a game. Whether it is one of the main games or a game like Pokemon GO, this chart is relevant in every situation. The Pokemon weakness chart is a chart that showcases every Pokemon Type strengths and weaknesses. Take, for example, the starter trio in a game. Fire is strong …
Pokemon stands as the largest cross-media IP in the world by a comfortable margin, but how did it make such explosive gains?
For a long while, pivoting a video game franchise into a larger brand seemed impossible. Iconic titles like Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat, and Resident Evil received TV and film adaptations, with the most common result being catastrophic failure. That was the norm from the 1990s all the way into the 2020s; and it probably shouldn’t have been.
While Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li and Silent Hill: Revelation were irredeemably bad, Pokemon showed that a video game series can be adapted into many different mediums. Here’s a quick history of the franchise and its future outlook.
Pokemon explodes with Game Boy games, quickly expands
Pokemon first arrived in Japan in 1996 with the release of Pokemon Red and Green; a pair of titles for the Nintendo Game Boy. The two games were largely identical, but each one had a handful of Pokemon that were exclusive to those titles. This encouraged players to collect and trade these monsters with others who purchased the games.
Later on in 1996, the game was reimagined as a trading card game. Then in 1997, an anime adaptation launched in Japan.
Both of those rapid-fire expansions earned strong success domestically. More importantly, it primed Pokemon for an overwhelming global push.
In 1998, the franchise officially crossed over into North America, Europe, and Australia. The games were killer apps for the Game Boy but it wasn’t just a video game. An accompanying anime aired new episodes daily, and the trading card game exploded out of the gate. This made it difficult to ignore Pokemon to the point where characters like Ash Ketchum and Pikachu were universally recognizable. Just like that, the franchise was unstoppable.
Pokemon expands beyond Nintendo consoles, grows even further
For decades, Pokemon video games were among the top-selling games each year they came out. The Pokemon TCG was one of the biggest in the industry. The anime was a constant, without even mentioning its many spin-off movies. Licensing characters for toys and apparel was a golden goose for all involved.
But the franchise was still positioned to grow further.
Almost all of the games were exclusive to Nintendo’s gaming hardware, but mobile gaming was on a sharp rise of its own. The franchise also released a long list of spin-offs, successfully turning the series into everything from a pinball game to a beat ‘em up. The Pokemon Company had dabbled with PC and mobile games previously, but started actively partnering with other studios in the 2010s.
The biggest example of this was Pokemon GO. The Pokemon Company partnered with AR game studio Niantic was an instant hit, being downloaded hundreds of millions of times. It was far from alone, however. Battling-focused gacha game Pokemon Masters, MOBA adaptation Pokemon Unite, and puzzle game Pokemon Cafe launched in the following years.
It wasn’t just licensed mobile games, though. Games like Detective Pikachu and New Pokemon Snap gave players fresh and varied ways to enjoy the familiar franchise.
Modern Pokémon games see mixed response, but sales remain strong
Though Pokémon has many lifelong fans, the mainline releases have long attracted controversy within the fandom. Though the first few generations were generally beloved, opinions on new and modern games releases vary wildly. Starting with the Nintendo Switch, critical response to the games wavered.
Reviews for Pokémon Let’s Go Pikachu and Let’s Go Eevee were lower than previous entries in the series. That pattern held with Pokémon Sword and Shield, which were also met with extreme backlash on social media.
Though each mainline game made every monster from previous generations available up until Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, this ended with Sword and Shield. Several fan favorites, including Beedrill and the Unovan starters, were made unobtainable in the game. The mega evolution and Z-move battle mechanics were also removed from the games. It’s unclear why or what methodology was used to determine which of the little monsters were left out.
Reviews sank further from there, with Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, then Pokémon Scarlet and Violet garnering the lowest review averages for mainline games.
Despite this, the games were still an enormous commercial success. Pokémon Sword, Shield, Scarlet, and Violet ranked among the best-selling games in franchise history. Its publisher may have heeded some of the fan criticism however, as the company opted against releasing a new mainline game or expansion in 2024. This was the first year without a major game release since 2015.
Pokemon
Pokemon
Pokemon
Pokemon
