Pokémon is going to get fans ready for the future by showing off its past.
The Pokémon Company announced a new series on animated shorts for YouTube, called Pokémon Generations. Each one will be 3-to-5 minutes long and highlight characters and memorable moments from the previously released Pokémon games. Since debuting in 1996, Pokémon has generated approximately $45 billion in revenue thanks to games, anime, cards, and merchandise. The series has seen a new wave of popularity thanks to Pokémon Go, which is the fastest mobile game ever to hit the $500 million in revenue mark.
In Pokémon, a generation designates a group of games released around the same time and the new Pokémon they introduced. For example, the original Red and Blue versions — plus Yellow — make up the first generation. The upcoming Sun and Moon, which come out for the Nintendo 3DS on November 18, will be the seventh generation. These shorts can familiarize new players with past events while giving longtime fans a way to see them in animated glory.
You can watch a trailer for the series above. The first two episodes will release on September 16. This is separate from the Pokémon anime, which has been running since 1997. Generations is the first Pokémon animated series created for YouTube.