The Pokémon franchise is celebrating its 25th anniversary by partnering with Universal Music Group to bring fans a year of music events and musician collaborations. The P25 Music program will be headlined by Katy Perry, a major collaborator in the year-long campaign.
Pokémon Red and Blue, the first release in the long-running Pokémon role-playing game series by Game Freak, launched in 1996 for Nintendo’s 8-bit handheld console GameBoy.
“Pokémon has been a constant in my life from playing the original video games on my Game Boy, to trading Pokémon TCG cards at lunch, to the adventures of catching Pokémon on the street with Pokémon GO,” said Perry.
“I’ve even visited the Pokémon Café in Japan while on tour. It is an honour to be chosen to help celebrate a franchise that has given me so much joy in the last 25 years, and to be able to watch it evolve in the ways it’s provided that kind of electric joy for the kids in my life and around the world.”
Further details about the extent of Perry’s participation in the P25 Music program as well as additional artist announcements will be revealed throughout the year.
“In Katy Perry, we see a kindred spirit to Pokémon, whose world is bright, fun and uplifting,” said The Pokémon Company International vice president of marketing, Colin Palmer. “Katy is a wonderful ambassador to help us celebrate 25 years of Pokémon, and we can’t wait for music fans everywhere to experience the exciting collaborations we have planned.”
“We are honuored to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Pokémon and the significant cultural impact this beloved franchise continues to have around the world,” added Universal Music Group and brands general manager, LJ Gutierrez.
“Working together, we have developed dynamic year-round programming involving artists from across UMG’s labels – because what better way to create a global celebration than through the power of music.”