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Pokémon

The Surprising Way Pokémon Is Celebrating its 20th Anniversary

By
Benjamin Snyder
Benjamin Snyder
Managing Editor
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By
Benjamin Snyder
Benjamin Snyder
Managing Editor
Down Arrow Button Icon
January 14, 2016, 11:59 AM ET
JAPAN-LIFESTYLE-ENTERTAINMENT-POKEMON
Dozens of people dressed up as Pikachu, the famous character of Nintendo's videogame software Pokemon, dance with fans as the final of a nine-day "Pikachu Outbreak" event takes place to attract summer vacationers in Yokohama, in suburban Tokyo, on August 16, 2015. AFP PHOTO / Toru YAMANAKA (Photo credit should read TORU YAMANAKA/AFP/Getty Images)Photograph by Toru Yamanaka — AFP/Getty Images

Pokémon is making its way to the Super Bowl.

In honor of its 20th anniversary, the Japanese video game franchise announced plans to run an ad during the biggest game of the year. Although details of the campaign were thin, the Pokémon Company, which is owned by Nintendo, said that the ad “will encourage fans to ‘train on.'”

That, of course, refers to Pokémon trainers who fight with their creatures in the video game franchises to make them more powerful.

Based on the news release, it is unknown who’s responsible for creating the upcoming Super Bowl ad as well as how long the spot will run on the Feb. 7 sports event.

Fortune has reached out to the Pokemon Company for more information about its upcoming Super Bowl ad, and we will update this story once we hear back.

The ad comes as a series of other promotions surrounding the franchise’s 20th anniversary are coming up in 2016. “Fans are encouraged to share their favorite Pokémon memories on Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube using the hashtag #Pokemon20,” according to a release.

There will also be a rerelease of the franchise’s Pokémon Red Version and Blue Version video games on Nintendo’s online store as well as the release of a new trading card game series, dubbed Generations.

The news comes as the Pokémon Company announced Pokémon Go last year. The upcoming game will have trainers search for and fight their Pokémon in the real world using their smartphones, as Fortune reported.

About the Author
By Benjamin SnyderManaging Editor
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Benjamin Snyder is Fortune's managing editor, leading operations for the newsroom.

Prior to rejoining Fortune, he was a managing editor at Business Insider and has worked as an editor for Bloomberg, LinkedIn and CNBC, covering leadership stories, sports business, careers and business news. He started his career as a breaking news reporter at Fortune in 2014.

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