Pallet Town Post
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How Pokémon works, in one read
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The IP
Characters
How does Pokémon keep its cast fresh?
Brand
Who owns the name, and who controls it?
The companies
Nintendo
What did Nintendo keep when it handed Pokémon over?
The founders
How are the two smaller owners paid?
The Pokémon Company
Why does The Pokémon Company keep less of each yen than a licensor?
The thin years, 1998–2015
The Pokémon GO year
TPC International
How is Pokémon run outside Japan?
The business lines
Trading cards
How did cards become the largest business?
Printing: one lifetime total, changed twice
Grading: most of the graders’ work, a sliver of the print
Against Magic: the same size once both are counted at the publisher
Video games
Who books the revenue when a new game sells?
Mobile
Which phone games last, and how do they earn?
The Niantic exit
Licensing
How much does TPC earn from licensed goods?
The licensees who pay the royalty mostly say nothing
Anime
What does the anime do for the franchise?
Pokémon Center
What role do TPC’s own shops play?
Events
Who are the World Championships for?
Around it
Partners
What is it worth to be Pokémon’s partner?
Collector market
Who is buying, and what happens after the shelf?
Value and risk
What is Pokémon worth to its owners, and what could change that?
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Source
Source
Pokémon Has Become the Highest-Grossing Media Franchise of All Time
Vice
31 July 2025
press
Estimate
Open the original ↗
Figures from this source
Estimate
Lifetime retail sales licensed products, cumulative to 2024
$103.6bn