Retail sales up US$100 million from 2014
According to the May issue of License! Global magazine, The Pokemon Company International earned US$2.1 billion in 2015. The magazineranked the company at #29 on its “Top 150 Global Licensors” list, followed by Cartoon Network.
The company's overall retail sales increased by US$100 million from 2015. In 2014, The Pokémon Company marked its first year earning at least US$2 billion, a 33% increase from its US$1.5-billion revenue in 2013.
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Pokémon franchise's very first game releases in Japan on theNintendo Game Boy in 1996. Nintendo unveiled the Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon games on February 26, the day before the anniversary of the original games' launch. The upcoming games will be an "all-new Pokémonadventure" in nine languages and ship during the Holiday 2016 season. Video game development companyGAME FREAK's composer and director Junichi Masuda posted on Twitter and on his blog on Friday that GAME FREAK will reveal more information about the games on May 10.
Pokémon Red, Blue, and Yellow Versions — the franchise's original generation of games — became available as paid digital downloads in the Nintendo eShop on February 27. Unlike the original version of these games on the Nintendo Game Boy, these new digital versions will allow players to transfer captured monsters toPokémon Sun and Moon via the Pokémon Bank service.
Niantic Labs and The Pokémon Company will release the augmented reality smartphone app Pokémon GO for iOS and Android devices this year. Nintendo will also offer the "Pokémon Go Plus" wristband device to encourage players to pay attention to their surroundings. Niantic has raised US$20 million from The Pokémon Company, Nintendo, andGoogle for the game, and the three investors will give Niantic another US$10 million upon meeting unspecified performance goals. Field testing for the game began in Japan in March.
[Via Nintendo News (link 2)]
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