Pokemania continues as the franchise turns 30

Pokemon turned 30 yesterday, and the craze hasn’t faded one bit. What began in 1996 as a Japanese video game-inspired cartoon has spun into a multi-billion-dollar global phenomenon.

The Pokemon Go gaming app launched in July 2016 and hit 500 million-plus downloads in just two months. The game remains a top-grossing mobile title with 30 million monthly players from 190+ countries. It has generated over $8 billion in revenue, including $1 billion in 2023 alone.

It was recently sold to a Saudi Arabia-backed company for $3.5 billion.

Just last week, influencer Logan Paul sold a rare PSA 10 Pikachu Illustrator card for a record-shattering $16.5 million.

Recent data from the Card Ladder index report shows that popular Pokemon cards are worth approximately 6,208% more than in May 2004. By comparison, the S&P 500 increased 521% over the same stretch.

However, this lucrative landscape has a dark side. The massive discrepancy between supply and demand has attracted bad actors, leading to rampant scalping (reselling at a higher price), multimillion-dollar auctions, and even an armed robbery at a California store.

Pokemon is one of the world’s highest-grossing media franchises and spans trading cards, games, TV shows, and more.