4 ms·

The only reason is reason #1. Generations of adults and kids have been watching and playing pokemon all their lives.

• KON_Air 10y ago
  I think the fact that it is barely a game with a low entry barrier (compared to "turn based tactical video game" like most other pokemon games are) with a massive following who don't really play video games or have ever watched the anime but know who Pickachu or what a Jrigglypuff is (nerd-credit rating requirements, mention in BazingaBang or "hip" stuff like those) was an important factor too.
• InclinedPlane 10y ago
  Indeed. I am just old enough that I more or less missed the pokemon craze growing up and to me it is a very noticeable generational signifier. For the millenial generation it's ubiquitous, to an insane degree. So it shouldn't be any surprise that a new game would generate huge adoption and enthusiasm, the only difference today is that the game is a different kind of game, and for various reasons is causing people outside the pokemon fanbase to take notice. But again, this shouldn't be surprising. The pokemon franchise has earned $46 billion. That's an average of $2.3 billion every single year for the last 20 years (which is how long it's been around). It's a more dominant media franchise than the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Star Wars, or Harry Potter. The fact that anyone is at all surprised by the success of Pokemon Go is a testament to their ignorance of cultural phenomena they simply care to ignore.
• snorlock 10y ago
  There is a little more to it, there are a lot of Pokemon games out there which have never made it. So you have to include these other points, aswell as many of the good comments that have come here!