Katy Perry headlines P25 Music, a year of surprise music events and superstar collaborations.
The Pokémon Company International has official launched celebrations today (January 13) for Pokémon’s landmark 25th anniversary.
The brand – which launched in 1996 – will aim to continue its tradition of bringing fans of all ages together this year by aligning with another universal unifying force: music.
Headlined by pop icon Katy Perry, the star-studded programme created in partnership with Universal Music Group, accompanies fan-focused activations celebrating 25 years of Pokémon across the franchise’s portfolio of video games, mobile apps, animation, merchandise and more.
P25 Music will see Pokémon working with some of the biggest names in music – from rising artists to award winning global superstars.
Katy Perry will be a premier collaborator in the year-long music campaign, with Colin Palmer, vp of marketing at The Pokémon Company International, describing the star as a “kindred spirit” to Pokémon.
“Katy is a wonderful ambassador to help us celebrate 25 years of Pokémon, and we can’t wait for music fans everywhere to experience the exciting collaborations we have planned,” he commented.
Meanwhile, the company will also be inviting fans to relive their experiences through the different regions in the Pokémon world. The year-long programme will begin with the most recently discovered Galar region from Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield and end with the classic Kanto region from the original Pokémon Red and Pokémon Blue games.
From today, fans can visit a new website that will serve as the hub for this and all fan celebration activities as they are announced throughout the year.
When it comes to collaborations, fans can look forward to campaigns with Build-A-Bear Workshop, Levi’s, McDonald’s and more. There will also be merchandise tied to the anniversary celebrations from licensees including Jazwares, Scholastic, Mattel, Funko, Power A and The Wand Company.
Special 25th anniversary themed collections of the Pokémon Trading Card Game will also arrive later in 2021. In the meantime, fans will soon be able to collect oversize cards featuring Pikachu and first partner Pokémon from the various regions featured in the franchise-spanning retrospective.
Further activations covering animation, video games, mobile games (including Pokémon GO and Pokémon Masters EX) and other major announcements are also in the pipeline.
To help fans kick off the celebration, a live-action video, uniquely highlighting moments in the brand’s 25-year history and a journey through the Pokémon world’s many regions, can now be viewed on the official Pokémon YouTube channel.
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