Pokémon's pretty popular, eh? The pocket monster collecting and battling games have captured the hearts and minds of children and adults across the world. Whether you chose chose your first ever starter based on a black-and-white sprite, or jumped in for the first time with Scarlet and Violet, chances are if you've played a video game, you've probably encountered Pokémon at one point or another.
The statistics in Pokémon's latest financial figures show just how much of a behemoth this IP is. In the franchise's history, it has sold a whopping total of 489 million units. That's almost half a billion Pokémon games. To put it in perspective, Tetris - the best-selling game ever - has sold 520 million units. Behind it is Minecraft with 350 million, and Grand Theft Auto V trailing on 230 million.
It's not just in the video game sector where Pokémon makes its money, as Pokémon cards are now more popular than ever. Around 10% of all cards ever printed were made in the last year, and more than 75 billion cards are out there in the wild.
What's the secret to Pokémon being such a successful product? According to the President of The Pokémon Company Tsunekazu Ishihara, it's about creating a strong word of mouth that makes people want to recommend the product to a friend, family member, or anyone they meet. "It is because a product is genuinely compelling that it wins broad support and allows the business to reach the next level," Ishihara writes in his President's Message. The secret to success for so long, in his opinion, is managing everything around the four pillars of collecting, raising, trading, and battling.
"These pillars hold true not just in games, but across every product and service we create, and they resonate with players regardless of country or region. As devices and connectivity have evolved, so has Pokémon—and through it all, we have been able to give people of all ages that same thrill of discovery that so many of us felt as children: catching bugs, tending to plants, caring for animals. Delivering that experience to as many people as possible, through Pokémon, is something we consider deeply important," Ishihara writes.