Three decades and stronger than ever

Pokemon celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2026, and the franchise reached the milestone at the peak of its commercial powers. The Pokemon Company posted record financials for the fiscal year ending February 2026, with net sales of around 531 billion yen, roughly $3.3 billion, up more than 29 percent year over year. Operating and net profit climbed even faster, driven largely by Pokemon Legends: Z-A and the booming trading card business.

The anniversary was formally kicked off with a Pokemon Presents showcase on Pokemon Day, February 27, 2026, which set the tone for a year of celebrations and collaborations.

Collaborations and content

The 30th anniversary brought a wave of new partnerships and releases:

LEGO and Pokemon launched their first official sets worldwide on Pokemon Day, a landmark new licensing partnership between two beloved brands.
A special 30th Celebration trading card set is due in September as the first global same-day TCG release.
Additional collaborations spanned Target, adidas, McDonald's, and UNIQLO, alongside a physical Game Music Collection jukebox player.
The stop-motion Netflix series Pokemon Concierge returns for a second season on September 4, 2026.

A franchise in full stride

The scale of the anniversary reflects just how dominant Pokemon has become across every medium. Record revenue underscores that the brand is not coasting on nostalgia but actively growing, powered by hit games, an enormous card business, and a mobile portfolio that includes phenomena like TCG Pocket. Few entertainment franchises of any age are expanding this quickly three decades in.

The LEGO partnership is especially significant, uniting two of the most powerful brands in family entertainment for the first time in official form. It opens a new merchandise avenue with enormous potential and signals The Pokemon Company's willingness to forge major new alliances even after 30 years. The breadth of the other collaborations, from fashion to fast food, shows a brand woven deeply into popular culture.

The competitive scene also has its moment, with the 2026 Pokemon World Championships heading to San Francisco in late August, held alongside a new fan event and showcasing the newly launched Pokemon Champions as an official title. It is a fitting stage to celebrate the community that has sustained the franchise for three decades.

From a stop-motion Netflix return to record-breaking financials and a historic LEGO team-up, Pokemon's 30th anniversary is less a nostalgic look back than a demonstration of a franchise operating at full stride. Thirty years after a pair of Game Boy titles launched a phenomenon, Pokemon has never been bigger, and 2026 is the year it threw itself a party worthy of the occasion.