Katy Perry Headlines P25 Music, Celebrating 25 Years Of Pokémon
First launched in 1996, Pokemon is an iconic video game and entertainment franchise beloved by millions of fans of all ages around the world.
The Pokémon Company International has officially launched celebrations for Pokémon’s landmark 25th anniversary. As an iconic video game and entertainment franchise beloved by millions of fans of all ages around the world, Pokémon has been bringing people together since its launch in 1996. In 2021, Pokémon will continue that tradition by aligning with another universal unifying force — music.
Headlined by pop icon Katy Perry, the star-studded program created in partnership with Universal Music Group (UMG), accompanies fan-focused activations celebrating 25 years of the game across the franchise’s portfolio of video games, mobile apps, animation, merchandise and more. To help fans kick off this celebration, a live-action video, uniquely highlighting moments in the brand’s 25-year history and a journey through the Pokémon world’s many regions, can be viewed beginning today on the official Pokémon YouTube channel.
Every party needs a great playlist. To celebrate 25 years, The Pokémon Company International is teaming up with UMG to make 2021 the biggest Pokémon party in history — and everyone is invited. The company is working with some of the biggest names in music, from rising artists to award-winning global superstars, for the program, titled P25 Music. Pop icon Katy Perry was revealed today as a premier collaborator in the massive, yearlong music campaign.
“Pokémon has been a constant in my life from playing the original video games on my Game Boy, to trading TCG cards at lunch, to the adventures of catching Pokémon on the street with GO. I’ve even visited the Pokémon Café in Japan while on tour! It is an honor 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,” said Katy Perry.
“In Katy Perry, we see a kindred spirit to Pokémon, whose world is bright, fun and uplifting,” said Colin Palmer, vice president of marketing at the PCI. “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 honored to celebrate the 25th anniversary and the significant cultural impact this beloved franchise continues to have around the world. 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,” said LJ Gutierrez, General Manager, UMGB.
Since the first video games launched in 1996, the franchise has explored a new region in the Pokémon world with the introduction of each core series game. In 2021, The Pokémon Company International will invite fans to relive their journeys through each of these regions in a yearlong program, beginning with the most recently discovered Galar region from Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield and ending with the classic Kanto region from the original Red and Blue games. Beginning today, fans can visit a new website that will serve as the hub for this and all fan celebration activities as they are announced throughout the year.
