In order to celebrate Pokémon’s 20th anniversary, the media franchise is re-releasing the first edition of its renowned collectible card game at the beginning of 2016, albeit in Japan only. On February 27, Japanese Pokémon fans will be able to get their hands on a 60-card base pack that is set to reproduce the original editions from 1996. This means that the cards will feature the original character art and designs, which is fantastic news because the first wave of cards was actually retired at some point after the deck’s initial release. The new starter pack will comprise a coin marker and the player’s rulebook, but we should also tell you about the rubber playmat and the Classic-style booster packs, as these will also be released soon. The playmat will be available as part of a Pokémon Centre limited edition, but fans will also be able to get their hands on regular versions as well.
Since the cards were released officially in the UK in 1999, UK-based Pokémon fans might have to wait until 2019 in order to enjoy a similar release, but since the Japan celebrations are focused on the franchise as a whole, we can still hope to see these cards in European stores this year. It’s worth noting, though, that The Pokémon Company International has not released an official statement at the time of writing. Apart from the card deck, 2016 will also mark the launch of Pokémon Go – an augmented reality game for mobile phones that is being developed by Niantic.
