Tokyo.- Three decades have passed since the Japanese Satoshi Tajiri turned his childhood hobby of collecting insects into the Pokémon phenomenon, the video game franchise that this Friday celebrates its anniversary with a return to the region where 'pocket monsters' as emblematic as Pikachu, Charizard or Bulbasaur were born.
The original titles of the franchise released on February 27, 1996, 'Pokémon Red' and 'Pokémon Green', put millions of people in the shoes of a young man from the Japanese region of Kanto who sought to become the best trainer and complete the well-known Pokédex, made up at that time of just 151 creatures.
This Friday and on the occasion of the anniversary, the 'FireRed' and 'LeafGreen' editions arrived on the Switch, both versions for Nintendo's latest generation consoles of the remastering of the first games in the saga, published in 2004.
"New and old players will be able to celebrate 30 years of Pokémon by exploring the Kanto region and reuniting with some of their favorite Pokémon and characters in their original environments," the company said before the anniversary.
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The first cartridges of the saga, developed for Nintendo's veteran Game Boy, ended up laying the foundations of a universe whose global sales are approaching 500 million copies.
Since then, almost forty different video games, more than a thousand fantastic creatures, twenty films, and more than a thousand anime episodes spread over 25 seasons make up what is considered the most valuable media franchise in history.
A Complete Birthday
In addition to focusing on the origins of the saga with the re-release of the original titles, Nintendo will also hold a special Pokémon Presents presentation in which it will review the saga's trajectory and preview upcoming projects related to video games, animation, and competitions.
The company has also designed a commemorative logo for each of the 1,025 existing Pokémon, seeking to recognize the evolution of the catalog of creatures since their origins, awaiting a possible preview of the tenth generation of these species.
In addition to this, the inauguration of PokePark Kanto in Tokyo at the beginning of this month, which became the first permanent theme park dedicated to the popular video game saga. Or the announcement of the company's 'Day Out' and 'Night Out', two events that according to the franchise will be immersive and interactive, although the specific location and dates have not yet been detailed.
Pokopia, the New Bet
This thirtieth birthday also comes with the next video game in the saga: Pokopia, a universe very different from the usual one of the Japanese creator that now places the player in a destroyed world, where humans have disappeared and the habitat of the small creatures has been wiped off the map.
A format that will come to light on March 5th that mixes elements of Minecraft or the well-known Animal Crossing franchise, where players can shape the universe to their liking in the style of the so-called 'cozy games', which have increased their popularity by up to 309% in just five years.
They will learn moves from other Pokémon, explore the corners of the new world and manage to make that territory a home again for the more than a thousand creatures in an installment that bets on a less linear structure and under the promise of greater freedom.
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