In 1996, a pair of cute monster-collecting roleplaying games launched on the Game Boy, giving birth to one of the biggest entertainment franchises on the planet. Over the last 25 years, Pokémon has continued to be a massively popular RPG series, but it has also spawned plentiful spinoff games, movies, shows, and more — from the early days of Red and Blue to the phenomenon of Pokémon Go to the surprise hit Detective Pikachu. At The Verge, we’re using this anniversary as a chance to explore how Pokémon evolved over the years and where it may be headed.
Pokémon might be famous for its games, but it also has some great gadgets
From Tamagotchi-like pets to actual poké balls
Pokémon’s spinoffs are the series at its most adventurous
Games like Snap, Go, and Sleep helped shape the franchise
Pokémon is a huge hit because it’s cooperative
Twenty-five years later, that’s still the case
