Pokémon Dominates Japanese Entertainment Industry in 2024

A recent survey by marketing agency GEM Partners reveals the top brands in Japan across seven media platforms. Pokémon secured the number one spot, achieving a remarkable reach score of 65,578 points.

The reach score is a proprietary metric calculated from the daily interactions with a brand's content across apps, games, music, videos, and manga. The survey involved 100,000 Japanese respondents aged 15 to 69, conducted monthly throughout the year.

Pokémon's dominance is particularly evident in the App Games category, where it amassed 50,546 points—a staggering 80% of its overall score. This success is largely attributed to the enduring popularity of Pokémon GO and the recent launch of DeNA's Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket. Further contributions came from Home Video (11,619 points) and Video (2,728 points) categories. Strategic partnerships, such as the Mister Donut collaboration, and the rising popularity of collectible card games also significantly boosted Pokémon's reach.

The Pokémon Company's 2024 financial results underscore this success, reporting sales of 297.58 billion yen and a gross profit of 152.23 billion yen. These impressive figures solidify Pokémon's position as a leading and rapidly expanding brand within Japan.

The Pokémon franchise encompasses a wide range of media, including video games, animated shows and films, trading card games, and other merchandise. It's a joint venture of Nintendo, Game Freak, and Creatures, established under The Pokémon Company in 1998 to manage the brand's overall operations.