The company and pop star Katy Perry are collaborating on Pokémon’s 25th anniversary this year. 212 marks the 25th anniversary of the original Pokémon games launched in 1996 and The Pokémon Company is looking to celebrate that anniversary in style, starting with Katy Perry, according to a company press release. The company plans to unify Pokémon with “another universal unifying force” in the form of music and that musical collaboration will be spearheaded by Katy Perry.
Credit: Christine Hahn and The Pokémon Company International
“Led by pop icon Katy Perry, the star-studded program created in partnership with Universal Music Group (UMG), the world leader in music-based entertainment, follows fan-focused activations celebrating 25 years of Pokémon across the entire video game portfolio franchise, mobile apps, animation, merchandise and more “, says the press release.
The Pokémon Company says it is working with some of the biggest names in music, “from rising artists to award-winning global superstars”, for a program called P25 Music. Katy Perry will serve as the “main contributor to the huge one-year music campaign”.
The Pokémon Company International vice president of marketing Colin Palmer said the company chose Katy Perry to headline P25 Music because it sees her as a Pokémon soul mate, as the singer is “bright, fun and uplifting “much like the world of Pokémon.“Pokémon has been a constant in my life, from playing the original video games on my GameBoy, exchanging Pokémon TCG cards for lunch, to the adventures of catching Pokémon on the street with Pokémon GO,” said the singer. “I even visited Pokémon Cafe in Japan during the tour. It is an honor to be chosen to help celebrate a franchise that has given me so much joy over the past 25 years, and to be able to see it evolve in the ways that have provided this kind of electric joy for the children in my life and around the world. “
The Pokémon Company says details about the singer’s and other artists’ participation in the P25 Music program will be announced throughout the year.
While waiting to see who else is announced, read about how Pokémon’s 25th anniversary celebration was sparked at Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade last November, and then read about how one of Ash’s oldest rivals, Gary Oak, is set to return to anime this year. Meanwhile, ongoing games like Pokémon Go are reaching their most successful years.
Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and creator of guides for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes.