Original Pokémon Trading Cards Hitting the Market Again as Pocket Monster Series Celebrates 20th Anniversary
Nintendo and the Pokémon Company announced that the original set of Pokémon trading cards will be re-released as a part of the 20th Anniversary celebration of the franchise. The first ever base set of the trading card game will be available for purchase on Feb. 27, 2016, at the official website of the trading card game.
However, according to Polygon, the card set will only be available for Japanese fans and will not be released for Europe and North America. The set will include a player's manual, a coin, and 60 cards that are identical to the original sets released in 1996.
Besides the re-release of TCG cards, Nintendo will also release on the same date the limited special-edition 2DS handheld consoles of Pokémon Red, Blue, Green, and Yellow versions, per the Pokémon website. The handhelds will come in four colors based on the four original versions of the game, but there is also no word on a Western release for the 2D consoles.
Pokémon Red, Blue, and Yellow will also become available worldwide for the Nintendo 3DS console via the 3DS shop. Another Pokémon game that is going to be released next year is the much-anticipated "Pokken Tournament" developed by Bandai Namco Entertainment.
In a report by Game Rant, the game combines the elements of Bandai Namco's Tekken series and characters of the Pokémon franchise. It is a fighting game in which two players fighting against each other using Pokémons.
Players can choose from the 721 Pocket Monsters in the game. "Pokken Tournament" will be available in Japan for the Arcade and Wii U on March 18, 2016, while the Western version is set for a Spring release.
The Pokémon Company will celebrate its 20th Anniversary on Feb. 27, 2016, the same date when the very first Pokémon game was released in 1996. The very first versions of the game were the Pokémon Red and the Pokémon Green.
It was developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy console. The characters were created by Satoshi Tajiri in 1995 and became one of the most successful video-game based franchises in the world.
The game has sold over 260 million copies worldwide and the trading card game has released more than 21.5 billion cards to 74 countries in ten languages. The franchise also has an animated series that is in its 17th season, has produced 17 movies, and the company generates $1.5 billion annually, per Phoneia.
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