What made Pokémon so successful, so fast, and for so long?
Well, if you haven’t heard of Pokémon, or don’t vaguely know what it is, you must have spent the last 25 years on another planet. Released in 1996, it still garners huge popularity nearly a quarter of a century on. With longevity as its main strength, Pokémon continuously adapts and keeps different generations of fans interested.
But how does it stay relevant?
When it first came out, Pokémon was more than a simple handheld game featuring colorful monsters. It was a fresh take on the roleplaying genre. Pokémon created a vast network of interaction between players in a time where handheld multiplayer game play was a mere dream.
Gamers no longer had to play side by side, but rather face to face, against one another. In addition, as it was available on a handheld console, fans could play in the park, or in shopping centers. It was gaming on their own terms and turf — pre-dating the explosion in mobile devices by decades.
An explosion of merchandise
Pokémon also had huge potential for merchandise, TV shows, and films, and the creators knew exactly how to exploit that. Fans can now buy trading cards, story books, magazines, board games, cuddly toys, Pokémon figures, Pokémon-themed food and drink, themed songs, clothing, and a whole deluge of other household items with your favorite Pokémon on and the list goes on and on.
Even spin-off films like “The First Movie” or “Detective Pikachu” took over $173 million and $433 million respectively. There are now World Pokémon Championships and countless conventions where fans play against each other, mostly in Pokémon fancy dress attire. When something becomes so universal that it gets entrenched in the planet’s cultural psyche, it’s not going anywhere. When Pokémon Go was released in 2016, using astute in-app purchases (IAPs), the game generated more than $600 million after just 90 days on the market, becoming the fastest mobile game ever to do so.
They’re willing to adapt One reason for Pokémon’s continued success is that the franchise is constantly adapting. This can be seen through Pokémon Go, which remains a popular game in 2020. It had 55 million new installs in 2019 which was its most profitable year, achieving $900 million in player spending. In short, the game is broad enough to appeal to most demographics, but also seamlessly retains its players. Whilst harnessing new elements such as 3D gameplay, each new release appeals to the target audience, and the adaptability to the players’ tastes means the game is always relevant.
Then there’s the nostalgia factor too. Twenty-five years on, the people who fell in love with it in 1996 still have a favorable view of these cute monsters today. SuperOne is about to join Pokémon in the Pantheon of the world’s favorite games and is taking that same approach.
It is constantly looking for new avenues of revenue and will have live-streamed tournaments and events around the world to add to the growth in its popularity. SuperOne expects to reach millions of players in the same amount with the app. With IAPs a major focus, the company expects to make similar sums.
Since everyone has a powerful gaming console in their pockets (there are more mobiles in circulation than humans alive) the opportunity has now arrived.