Editing Pokémon (section)

====North America====
{{Quote box
 |quote  = "When we started this project in Japan, one of the first things I was told was that this kind of thing would never appeal to American audiences. They said, 'Because the characters are in a very Japanese style, you cannot sell them to Americans'. So from the very beginning, I never thought there would be an English version. Now, it's just as popular in the United States [as in Japan], and I realized that we shouldn't always believe the opinions of conservative marketers."
 |author = [[Shigeru Miyamoto]]
 |source = August 1999<ref>{{Cite web | first=Chris | last=Johnston | title=Miyamoto Talks Dolphin at Space World | website=[[GameSpot]] | date=28 August 1999 | url=https://www.gamespot.com/articles/miyamoto-talks-dolphin-at-space-world-and14599/1100-2460819/ | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140120151746/https://www.gamespot.com/articles/miyamoto-talks-dolphin-at-space-world-and14599/1100-2460819/ | archive-date=20 January 2014 | url-status=dead}}</ref>
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 |align  = right
}}

<!-- Doubts about how successful Pokemon would be in the West -->
Possibly the first official to show interest in a North American launch of ''Pokemon'' was [[Minoru Arakawa]], founder and then-president of [[Nintendo of America]] (NoA). Arakawa visited Japan to participate in [[Nintendo Space World#Shoshinkai 1996|Shoshinkai 1996]], held 22–24 November. It was around this time when he first played one of the three ''Pokemon'' titles. He thought the games were promising, but Nintendo of Japan (NoJ) had no plans at the time to release them elsewhere. He returned to America with a few cartridges and tested the game on his employees – they did not believe it would work in the US.<ref>{{Harvp|Hatakeyama|Kubo|2000|p=406-407}}.</ref> At the time, [[Role-playing video game|role-playing games]] (RPGs) were not very popular outside Japan,<ref name="Lippman_(1999)">{{Cite news | first=John | last=Lippman | title=Creating the Craze for Pokemon: Licensing Agent Bet on U.S. Kids | work=[[The Wall Street Journal]] | date=16 August 1999 | page=B1 | url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB934753154504300864 | url-access=subscription | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180615055529/https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB934753154504300864 | archive-date=15 June 2018 | url-status=live}}</ref> and NoA executives believed that American children did not have the [[attention span]] for such a complex title.<ref name="Moss_(2019)">{{Cite web | first=Richard | last=Moss | title=How Nintendo introduced the Game Boy, Tetris, and Pokémon to the West | website=[[Polygon (website)|Polygon]] | date=19 April 2019 | url=https://www.polygon.com/2019/4/19/18295061/game-boy-history-timeline-tetris-pokemon-nintendo | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190419200933/https://www.polygon.com/2019/4/19/18295061/game-boy-history-timeline-tetris-pokemon-nintendo | archive-date=19 April 2019 | url-status=live}}</ref> Americans were said to be more interested in sport- and action-oriented games, preferably with realistic graphics.<ref name="Baylis_(1999)" /><ref name="Gellene_(1998)">{{Cite news | first=Denise | last=Gellene | title=What's Pokemon? Just Ask Any Kid | work=[[Los Angeles Times]] | date=10 December 1998 | page=1 | url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1998-dec-10-fi-52393-story.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200228113228/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1998-dec-10-fi-52393-story.html | archive-date=28 February 2020 | url-status=live}}</ref> Japanese people, by contrast, were alleged to care more about characters and plot.<ref name="Eisenberg_(1998)">{{Cite magazine | first=Bart | last=Eisenberg | title=Japan's "Quirky" Video Games Making Inroads in the U.S. | magazine=Software Design | publisher=Gijutsu-Hyohron | date=September 1998 | url=http://www.gihyo.co.jp/magazine/SD/pacific/SD_9809.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061212183856/http://www.gihyo.co.jp/magazine/SD/pacific/SD_9809.html | archive-date=12 December 2006 | url-status=dead}}</ref> Up to that point, few Japanese properties had been successfully mainstreamed in the US, and if they were, it was alleged to be on account of having been properly [[Americanized]]: ''[[Mighty Morphin Power Rangers]]'' was considered a prime example of this.<ref>{{Harvp|Allison|2006|p=243 + 298}}.</ref> Visually, ''Pokemon'' was believed to be too ''[[kawaii]]'', or [[Cuteness|cute]]. It was assumed that ''Pokemon'' could not succeed on cute alone – it must also be [[Cool (aesthetic)|cool]].<ref name="taidan1_page03">{{Cite web | title=スペシャル対談： 田尻智さん（ゲームフリーク）VS 石原恒和さん（クリーチャーズ）対談 — 3ページ目 | trans-title=Interview: Satoshi Tajiri (Game Freak) vs. Tsunekazu Ishihara (Creatures) — Page 3 | work=Nintendo Online Magazine | publisher=nintendo.co.jp | date=July 2000 | url=https://www.nintendo.co.jp/nom/0007/taidan1/page03.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030205123331/https://www.nintendo.co.jp/nom/0007/taidan1/page03.html | archive-date=5 February 2003 | url-status=dead}} ([https://archive.today/20210118225356/http://lavacutcontent.com/satoshi-tajiri-ishihara-interview/ Translation])</ref><ref name="Hatakeyama_Kubo_(2000)_p407-408">{{Harvp|Hatakeyama|Kubo|2000|p=407-408}}.</ref> In an effort to enhance the franchise's coolness, NoA considered a graphical redesign and contracted a few external artists to create some test-designs for the American market.<ref name="Moss_(2019)" /><ref name="Hatakeyama_Kubo_(2000)_p407-408" /> The [[mockup]]s they proposed included 'graffiti style' drawings,<ref name="Hatakeyama_Kubo_(2000)_p407-408" /> 'beefed-up' and more muscular looking Pokemon,<ref>{{Cite web | first=Brian | last=Ashcraft | title=Pokemon Could Have Been Muscular Monsters | website=[[Kotaku]] | date=19 May 2009 | url=https://kotaku.com/pokemon-could-have-been-muscular-monsters-5260140 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230408184223/https://kotaku.com/pokemon-could-have-been-muscular-monsters-5260140 | archive-date=8 April 2023 | url-status=live}}</ref> and a new Pikachu that looked like "a tiger with huge breasts".<ref name="taidan1_page03" /> Arakawa concluded that it "didn't work",<ref name="Hatakeyama_Kubo_(2000)_p407-408" /> and by that time, the anime had begun its production in Japan, leading NoA to conclude it was too late for a graphical revamp anyway.<ref name="Moss_(2019)" />

<!-- Al Kahn and 4Kids get involved, Kahn coins the name "Pokémon" -->
Of pivotal importance to ''Pokemon''{{'}}s global expansion was [[Alfred R. Kahn]], CEO of US-based [[4Kids Entertainment]], NoA's licensing agent since 1987.<ref name="4Kids_History">{{Cite encyclopedia | editor-first=Jay P. | editor-last=Pederson | title=4Kids Entertainment Inc. | encyclopedia=International directory of company histories | date=2004 | volume=59 | publisher=[[St. James Press]] | isbn=9781558625044 | url=http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/4kids-entertainment-inc-history/ | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180618021145/http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/4kids-entertainment-inc-history/ | archive-date=18 June 2018 | url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="Rogers_(2000)">{{Cite magazine | first=Brett | last=Rogers | title=Give Us Your Money: 4Kids Entertainment Attains Poke-Momentum | magazine=[[Animation World Magazine]] | date=October 2000 | volume=5 | issue=7 | url=https://www.awn.com/animationworld/give-us-your-money-4kids-entertainment-attains-poke-momentum | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200918073325/https://www.awn.com/animationworld/give-us-your-money-4kids-entertainment-attains-poke-momentum | archive-date=18 September 2020 | url-status=live}}</ref> Convinced of the franchise's potential, Kahn agreed to invest an undisclosed sum in return for both the anime and licensing rights.<ref name="Lippman_(1999)" /> ''Pokemon'' became one of the first Japanese media franchises in which both the localization of the anime and the licensing of merchandise was handled by a single company, as well as a non-Japanese company.<ref name="Stewart_(2004)">{{Cite web | first=Lianne | last=Stewart | title=Anime-hunting growing pains: Players face new roadblocks in the Japan-mining game | website=[[Kidscreen]] | date=1 March 2004 | url=https://kidscreen.com/2004/03/01/anime-20040301/ | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230325195922/https://kidscreen.com/2004/03/01/anime-20040301/ | archive-date=25 March 2023 | url-status=live}}</ref> Kahn suggested to use the short version of the name, "Pok''é''mon", adding an [[acute accent]] (´) over the ''e'' to assist with pronunciation and "give it a little flair".<ref name="Tsukayama_(2016)" /> NoJ president [[Hiroshi Yamauchi]] officially approved the project in late November,<ref>{{Harvp|Hatakeyama|Kubo|2000|p=533}}.</ref> and subsequently announced it at [[Nintendo Space World#Space World 1997|Space World 1997]].<ref name="EGM_124">{{Cite magazine | title=What's The Deal With Pokémon? | magazine=[[Electronic Gaming Monthly]] | date=November 1999 | issue=124 | page=171 | url=https://archive.org/details/electronic-gaming-monthly-issue-124-november-1999/page/171/mode/1up?view=theater | quote=President Hiroshi Yamauchi told a crowd at the company's Space World '97 exhibition, "I want people all over the world to play Pokémon."}}</ref> However, three weeks later, the "[[Dennō Senshi Porygon]]" incident happened, which Kubo felt made even more people resistant to the idea of an overseas introduction.<ref>{{Harvp|Hatakeyama|Kubo|2000|p=412}}.</ref>

<!-- Launch budget set, localization and marketing campaign planned -->
[[Market research]] turned back negative: American kids reportedly did not like ''Pokémon''.<ref>{{Cite web | title=The 25 Top Managers of the Year: Minuro Arakawa, Pokémon Patriarch | date=10 January 2000 | work=[[BusinessWeek Online]] | url=http://www.businessweek.com/2000/00_02/b3663037.htm | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000531212929/http://www.businessweek.com/2000/00_02/b3663037.htm | archive-date=31 May 2000 | url-status=dead}} ([https://web.archive.org/web/20000302203253/http://www.businessweek.com/datedtoc/2000/0002.htm Full issue], [https://web.archive.org/web/20000304120236/http://businessweek.com/2000/00_02/b3663001.htm Introduction])</ref> Arakawa ignored the study and, convinced of the franchise's potential, allocated an enormous budget to ''Pokémon''{{'}}s launch. The exact amount was not disclosed, but was reportedly equal to or more than $50&nbsp;million (c. ${{Inflation|US|50|1998|r=2}} million in {{Inflation/year|US}}), approximately the same amount as the launch budget of the [[Nintendo Entertainment System]] in 1985. Arakawa admitted that it was "quite a bit of money", but NoA "had been doing well for several years, so we had a lot of money to spare". He opined that if ''Pokémon'' would be as successful in the US as it had been in Japan, "an investment of 1 would turn into 100".<ref>{{Harvp|Hatakeyama|Kubo|2000|p=409}}.</ref> NoA and 4Kids proceeded to devise a strategy on how to localize ''Pokémon'' for the United States.<ref name="Moss_(2019)" /> Arakawa appointed [[Gail Tilden]] to lead the project, prompting her to leave her position at ''[[Nintendo Power]]'' magazine.<ref>{{Cite book | first=Chris | last=Kohler | title=Power-Up: How Japanese Video Games Gave the World an Extra Life | edition=Original | date=14 September 2004 | publisher=[[BradyGames]] | page=244 | isbn=978-0744004243 | url=http://www.bradygames.com/title/0744004241| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041012080324/http://www.bradygames.com/title/0744004241 | archive-date=12 October 2004 }} ([https://archive.org/details/poweruphowjapane0000kohl/page/244/mode/1up link])</ref> Tilden said that they "decided to make an all-out effort to repeat the phenomenon in the Western world".<ref name="Chua-Eoan_Larimer_(1999)" /> In two press releases, NoA self-described ''Pokémon''{{'}}s marketing campaign as "aggressive".<ref>{{Cite press release | title=Nintendo partners with four brand leaders to launch aggressive marketing and promotional campaigns | date=27 May 1998 | publisher=[[Nintendo]] | url=http://www.nintendo.com/corp/press/052798h.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19980530124611/http://www.nintendo.com/corp/press/052798h.html | archive-date=30 May 1998 | url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite press release | title=1998... the year of Nintendo | date=27 May 1998 | publisher=[[Nintendo]] | url=http://www.nintendo.com/corp/press/052798i.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19980610060151/http://www.nintendo.com/corp/press/052798i.html | archive-date=10 June 1998 | url-status=dead}}</ref>

<!-- Localizing the anime, finding broadcasters for it -->
The [[Editing of anime in distribution#Localization|localization]] of the [[Pokémon (TV series)|''Pokémon'' anime]] was done by 4Kids, and directed by [[Norman J. Grossfeld]]. Grossfeld strongly believed that the anime should be [[Americanization|Americanized]].<ref>{{Cite AV media | people=[[Margot Adler]] (reporter), [[Brooke Gladstone]] (host) | title=Pokemon Fever: Pokemon TV & Video Game Enthralls | type=Radio broadcast | date=6 March 1999 | publisher=[[National Public Radio]], Weekend Edition | location=Washington DC, United States | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qbszbUK5U90 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240413110631/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qbszbUK5U90 | archive-date=13 April 2024 | url-status=dead | quote=We looked at Pokémon and said: 'Let's make this an American show for American kids'. | time=04:24}} ([https://web.archive.org/web/20221012081706/https://www.npr.org/1999/03/06/1046502/pokemon-fever entry on website])</ref> At [[NATPE]] 1998, he asked ShoPro for a "kind of [[:en:wikt:carte blanche#Noun|carte blanche]], to let me change the show as I think would work for this market", to which ShoPro agreed.<ref name="Dockery_(2022)_p43-44">{{Cite book | first=Daniel | last=Dockery | title=Monster Kids: How Pokémon Taught a Generation to Catch Them All | date=5 October 2022 | publisher=[[Running Press]] | pages=43–44 | isbn=978-0762479504}}</ref> However, no national TV station  was interested in buying the anime or financing its localization.<ref name="Tsukayama_(2016)" /><ref name="Lippman_(1999)" /> Kahn then decided to self-finance ''Pokémon'''s production costs, despite realizing this "could very well bring down 4Kids" if the show would fail.<ref name="Dockery_(2022)_p43-44" /> According to Kahn, they "spend a fortune" on the localization.<ref name="Mallory_(2001)" /> To have it [[Broadcast syndication|broadcast in syndication]], 4Kids offered the show for free to local TV stations across the country, in exchange for a portion of the advertising revenue.<ref name="Tsukayama_(2016)" /><ref name="Lippman_(1999)" /> NoA assisted, persuading dozens of stations to carry the series by offering to buy some of their advertisement space, spending a total of $5&nbsp;million (c. ${{Inflation|US|5|1998|r=2}} million in {{Inflation/year|US}}).<ref name="Gellene_(1998)" /><ref name="Dockery_(2022)_p43-44" /> Despite all this, most broadcasters were still reluctant to carry ''Pokémon'', with Grossfeld experiencing difficulties getting through their "preconceived notions or their snobbery for Western-produced animation over something from Asia".<ref name="Dockery_(2022)_p43-44" /> At the time, anime had not yet found mainstream popularity in the West. Contemporary news reports cited ''[[Sailor Moon]]''{{efn-ur|Attributed to multiple references:<ref name="Mcfarland_Parvaz_(1999)" /><ref name="Gellene_(1998)" /><ref>{{Cite news | first=Bill | last=Keveney | title=Japan's latest export to U.S.: 'Pokemon' Viewers won't see cartoon episode that was blamed for making kids sick | work=[[Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]] | date=18 February 1998 | page=8 | url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/260665712/B5CC38A0EE164EBCPQ | url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref name="Keveney_(1998)">{{Cite news | first=Bill | last=Keveney | title=Japan's 'Pokeman' [sic] Heads West | work=[[Los Angeles Times]] | date=1 March 1998 | page=7 | url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1998-mar-01-tv-24117-story.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190717073128/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1998-mar-01-tv-24117-story.html | archive-date=17 July 2019 | url-status=live | ref={{harvid|Keveney|1998b}}}}</ref>}} as an example of an anime that had failed to catch on with American youth.{{efn|However, ''[[Sailor Moon]]'' did gain a cult following at the time.<ref name="Allison_(2006)_p154">{{Harvp|Allison|2006|p=154}}.</ref> After being pulled from syndication in spring 1996 due to low ratings,<ref>{{Harvp|Allison|2006|p=151-152}}.</ref> it was broadcast again on [[USA Network]] from June 1997 to March 1998.<ref name="Lenburg_(2009)_p613">{{Cite encyclopedia | first=Jeff | last=Lenburg | date=2009 | title=The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons | edition=3nd | publisher=[[Facts on File]] | page=613 | isbn=978-0816065998}} ([https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofan0000lenb/page/613/mode/1up link])</ref> The anime subsequently had a successful run on [[Cartoon Network]]'s [[Toonami]] [[Block programming|block]] from 1 June 1998, to 5 July 2002, a timeframe that overlapped Pokémania.<ref name="Allison_(2006)_p154" /><ref name="Lenburg_(2009)_p613" />}} Still, with NoA's help, 4Kids ultimately succeeded in contracting 112 broadcasters for ''Pokémon'',<ref>{{Cite news | first=Gary | last=Levin | title=Notorious 'Pokemon' cartoon poised for fall | work=[[USA Today]] | date=11 June 1998 | page=03D | url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/408816962/948D2F2B9AE24235PQ | archive-date=27 June 2023 | access-date=27 June 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230627082017/https://www.proquest.com/docview/408816962/948D2F2B9AE24235PQ | url-status=live }}</ref> reaching "about 85 to 90 percent"<ref name="Saunders_(1998)">{{Cite news | first=Michael | last=Saunders | title=Subdued 'Convulsion Cartoon' Heads to US | work=[[The Boston Globe]] | date=16 February 1998 | page=A1 | url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/403945497/3A24FA989CB640DFPQ | url-access=subscription | archive-date=27 June 2023 | access-date=27 June 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230627082909/https://www.proquest.com/docview/403945497/3A24FA989CB640DFPQ | url-status=live }}</ref> of television households. However, many broadcasters gave it off-peak time slots, with starting times like 06:00 or 06:30.<ref name="Tsukayama_(2016)" /><ref name="Gellene_(1998)" /> Prior to the late 1990s, this was the case for many anime in the US.<ref name="Stewart_(2004)" />

<!-- "Gotta catch 'em all" slogan coined; first Pokémon theme song created -->
Grossfeld came up with the [[advertising slogan]] "Gotta catch 'em all!" as the English equivalent to the Japanese {{Nihongo3|Get (the) Pokémon!|ポケモンゲットだぜー！|Pokemon GETTO daze~!}}.<ref>{{Cite magazine | first=Andy | last=Myers | title=Built to Last | magazine=[[Nintendo Power]] | date=August 2005 | issue=194 | page=58 | url=https://archive.org/details/nintendo-power-issue-194-august-2005/page/58/mode/1up?view=theater | quote=When Nintendo couldn't trademark the phrase, they settled on Grossfeld's second choice: "Gotta Catch 'Em All"}}</ref><ref name="Van_Luling_(2017)">{{Cite web | first=Todd | last=Van Luling | title=Before 'Gotta Catch 'Em All:' The Creation Of The Pokémon Theme | website=[[HuffPost]] | date=2 June 2017 | url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/pokemon-theme-catch-em-if-you-can_n_592f3495e4b0540ffc84324a | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230121064144/https://www.huffpost.com/entry/pokemon-theme-catch-em-if-you-can_n_592f3495e4b0540ffc84324a | archive-date=21 January 2023 | url-status=live | quote="It was always my intention to come up with a tagline for marketing purposes that would also be included in the theme song," 4Kids Entertainment head of production Norman Grossfeld explained to HuffPost.}}</ref> The phrase "miraculously managed to gain approval" by the [[Federal Communications Commission]] (FCC), which normally prohibits the use of injunctions in [[Advertising to children|ads directed at children]] (e.g. "You must buy this!"). While the tagline does sound commanding, the FCC reasoned that the act of ''catching'' is at the core of ''Pokémon''{{'}}s play. Therefore, the phrase was allowed.<ref>{{Harvp|Allison|2006|p=244}}.</ref> [[Pokémon Theme|The series' theme song]] was written by [[John Loeffler]] and John Siegler, and performed by [[Jason Paige]].<ref>{{Cite web | first=Steve | last=Fritz | title=POKEMON Composer John Loeffler | website=Mania.com | date=9 September 2000 | url=http://www.mania.com/24041.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070714120539/http://www.mania.com/24041.html | archive-date=14 July 2007 | url-status=dead}}</ref> In commissioning the track, Grossfeld specifically requested the song's chorus to be written around the "Gotta catch 'em all" phrase, firmly embedding the slogan into the theme.<ref name="Van_Luling_(2017)" />

<!-- Licensing system established -->
While NoA and 4Kids were allowed a fair degree of liberty in their localization of ''Pokémon'', the Japanese copyright council, headed by Ishihara, had the last say over it. All decisions regarding adjustments and promotion had to gain final approval of the Japan side.<ref>{{Harvp|Allison|2006|p=243}}.</ref> This included all of the merchandise, for which a 'two-step system' was created. All (aspiring) licensees in North America were to send their merchandise proposals to 4Kids.<ref name="Lippman_(1999)" /> Staff of both 4Kids and NoA then made a pre-selection and send the approved proposals to Japan, where the council made the final decision. Many submissions were bounced at the US stage, and thus never got sent to Japan. Tilden noted that processing all license applications, and mailing all approved prototypes and their documentation to Japan, was a lot of work. Arakawa did consider streamlining the process by moving someone from Japan to the US, but no person could be found who was as competent as Ishihara.<ref>{{Harvp|Hatakeyama|Kubo|2000|p=460-461}}.</ref>

<!-- Pokémon launched in North America, along with the Game Boy Color -->
The ''Pokémon'' anime was first broadcast on 7 September 1998.<ref>{{Cite news | first=Scott | last=Moore | title=Pokemania | newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] | page=C13 | date=25 April 2000 | url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/2000/04/25/pokemania/682d1860-8394-42f1-9469-c2abc75fdd15/ | url-access=subscription | archive-url=https://archive.today/20230627100100/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/2000/04/25/pokemania/682d1860-8394-42f1-9469-c2abc75fdd15/ | archive-date=27 June 2023 | url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web | title=Pokémon "Battle Aboard the St. Anne" (found original American broadcast version of anime episode; 1998) | website=Lost Media Wiki | url=https://lostmediawiki.com/Pok%C3%A9mon_%22Battle_Aboard_the_St._Anne%22_(found_original_American_broadcast_version_of_anime_episode;_1998)}}</ref> [[Pokémon Red, Blue, and Yellow|''Pokémon Red Version'' and ''Blue Version'']] were released three weeks later, on 28 September 1998.<ref>{{Cite press release | title=Game Boy's Pokémon Unleashed on September 28! | date=28 September 1998 | publisher=[[Nintendo]] | url=http://www.nintendo.com/corp/press/100298.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19990501171038/http://www.nintendo.com/corp/press/100298.html | archive-date=1 May 1999 | url-status=dead}}</ref> To localize the card game, Nintendo contracted [[Wizards of the Coast]], the creator of ''[[Magic: The Gathering]]''.<ref>{{Cite press release | title=Wizards of the Coast catches Pokémon Trading Card Game rights! | date=27 August 1998 | publisher=[[Wizards of the Coast]] | url=http://www.wizards.com/Corporate_Info/News_Releases/WotC/Pokemon.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19990221060236/http://www.wizards.com/Corporate_Info/News_Releases/WotC/Pokemon.html | archive-date=21 February 1999 | url-status=dead}}</ref> The ''[[Pokémon Trading Card Game]]'' was officially launched nationwide on 9 January 1999, although pre-sold in select stores in December.<ref>{{Cite press release | title=Pokemon Trading Card Game a Monster Success; Stores Selling Out of Product within Hours of Restocking on Shelves | date=3 February 1999 | publisher=Wizards of the Coast | url=http://www.findarticles.com/cf_0/m0EIN/1999_Feb_3/53696127/print.jhtml | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010219001612/http://www.findarticles.com/cf_0/m0EIN/1999_Feb_3/53696127/print.jhtml | archive-date=19 February 2001 | url-status=dead}}</ref> Coinciding with the North American launch of ''Pokémon'' was the release of the [[Game Boy Color]] on 23 November 1998.<ref>{{Cite press release | title=Game Boy Color Coming This Fall | date=27 May 1998 | publisher=Nintendo | url=http://www.nintendo.com/corp/press/052798j.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19980610060218/http://www.nintendo.com/corp/press/052798j.html | archive-date=10 June 1998 | url-status=dead}}</ref>