Pokémon/Nintendo have made major developments with the opening of PokéPark Kanto in Tokyo, Japan (February 2026) and the release of the game Pokémon Pokopia on the Nintendo Switch 2 (March 2026). Pokémon, short for pocket monsters, was originally released in 1996. The franchise has sold nearly 500 million video games, over 75 billion trading cards, and generated total revenue of $150 billion, more than Star Wars or Marvel. The anime series featuring the young boy Ash and his Pokémon Pikachu, an electric-type mouse, was broadcast to over 190 countries. In 2016, the Pokémon Go app was released and has since had 30 million active monthly users. This rich and immersive world unlocked Japanese storytelling for western audiences.
Tajiri Satoshi, a Japanese designer who grew up in the Tokyo suburbs, was obsessed with collecting insects. Soon, the nearby fields and ponds were being swallowed up by urban development projects across the city. He created Pokémon with the goal of allowing children to explore and collect creatures in the digital world as the natural world disappeared. This common goal can be seen in many of Nintendo’s games like Super Mario, the Legend of Zelda, Animal Crossing and Pokémon Pokopia.
Pokémon particularly appeals to people of all ages and genders. The cute (kawaii) character design mixed with the geek culture (otaku) tradition of cataloging a character’s appearance and traits is one of the main draws. Most collectors of rare Pokémon cards and players of Pokémon Go are adults. Nintendo has used this to their advantage by creating attractions like the immersive Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios Japan, Hollywood, and Orlando. The Nintendo Museum in Kyoto features old consoles, failed game mockups, and even interactive exhibits and games. PokéPark Kanto is the newest edition in their lineup.
The environmentally minded see the Pokémon world and its animals as reflective of our own. At the beginning of this year (January 2026), the “Pokécology” pop-up at the Natural History Museum in London examines how Pokémon interact with their environments and adapt to habitats from deep forests to shadowy caves. This spring (May 2026), the Field Museum in Chicago is holding a Pokémon fossil exhibit, which brings together the real and fictional world of paleontology. Guests are encouraged to compare the Fossil Pokémon like Tyrantrum and Archeops with real-world fossils like Sue, the T. rex.
Pokémon Pokopia, their newest game, is exclusively available only on the Nintendo Switch 2, the new console. However, with the steep price tag of $500 for the console alone, not even mentioning the added $70 for the game, many patrons are wondering if the price is worth it. With the original Nintendo Switch coming out 9 years ago, some fans think it’s appropriate timing for a new console. Companies like PlayStation released the PS4 and PS5 with only 7 years between them. While the original Nintendo Switch was released in 2017, a massive influx of sales was driven by the 2020 COVID pandemic. With everyone stuck at home, gaming was a good way to pass the time. Now with current events the way they are, many are searching for another form of escape from the chaos of the world.
