Before joining Engadget, I worked as an Associate Editor for The Pokémon Company for five years. It was always a little weird explaining what I did then because I always got ‘oh, is that still there, I thought that was just a fad’ comments, and I should explain that no, it still was none thing
Now, over a decade since I left the company, we are here on the eve of Pokémon’s 25th anniversary; the first two games, Pocket Monsters red and green, was released in Japan on February 27, 1996. And we here at Engadget have decided to take a look at this enduring phenomenon and exactly what makes it so beloved by children and adults who have grown up with the franchise. It’s a combination of good timing, great game mechanics, luck, and of course, highly marketable characters like Pikachu. *
Who happens to be # 25 in the National Pokédex, which in itself is quite a bit of serendipity for this anniversary year. Yes, I just realized this and I was blown away by it.