Is Pokémon an unusually popular franchise?

I'd say that, to fans that follow all the news and stats, it does feel hugely popular. But it's sort of unspoken now. People see Pokemon commercials, and movies, and games, but it's a normal part of browsing a game store, or watching TV. It's no longer a hyped sub-culture like it used to be. Years ago the whole world was obsessed, and it was a phenomenon, which is not so anymore.

Pokemon doesn't stand out as much anymore to the average person. -w-
 
I've seen many people who draw pokemon fanwork and bring up pokemon in anime club... yet I haven't seen the same degree for things like Mario or COD. I've seen many people bringing up pokemon nowadays nostalgically, because it was a really big fad back then. Even in my college dorms, the Resident Directors placed different pokemon nametags on people's doors due to how individualized they are.

These are the experiences I've had, in which even if I wasn't in the pokemon fanbase, I would have noticed how unusually popular this thing was.
 
I wouldn't say it's as popular as other franchises such as Mario or even Final Fantasy, but Pokémon has a very large fan base, and most people at least recognize it especially if they grew up in the late 90s and 2000s. I do think it has lost some of its shine over the years mostly in the trading card game and anime (no surprise here). The games though always sell like crazy and if anything are only becoming more popular.
 
EntwinedSilence said:
I'd say that, to fans that follow all the news and stats, it does feel hugely popular. But it's sort of unspoken now. People see Pokemon commercials, and movies, and games, but it's a normal part of browsing a game store, or watching TV. It's no longer a hyped sub-culture like it used to be. Years ago the whole world was obsessed, and it was a phenomenon, which is not so anymore.

Pokemon doesn't stand out as much anymore to the average person. -w-
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I agree with this :3

I also think more of the people around me offline know about pokémon than about Final Fantasy.
 
We might not have the largest fanbase, or the most current. Like the online game news websites and the magazines rarely have Pokemon stories in them. But the Pokemon fanbase seems to be a lot more loyal than others if you know what i mean. Like a COD fan could easily change to a Battlefield fan or a Borderlands fan.

With Pokemon, there isn't really much competition. Sure there's stuff like Digimon and other RPGs but none of them have such a large fanbase and none of them are so fun. There's a whole new generation of gamers being raised on Pokemon now.

My little nephew is only 6 and he is just as excited about X and Y as i was about Emerald back then. Its such a good game concept and the fan's loyalty is what has made it 'unusually popular'
 
I don't know exactly how popular it is today but I remember it being a phenomenon in the late nineties.
 
I don't think Pokemon is unusually popular. Most people who don't like Pokemon tend to judge it on concept, not gameplay. Now why in the heck Training animals by your side seems lame, is beyond me. But Pokemon has a good thing going. The anime appeals to younger audiences, tempting them to buy the games. Meanwhile, longtime fans still purchase the games and usually enjoy them.
 
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