Shares in DeNA have jumped by their daily limit after The Pokemon Co. announced a new mobile game featuring the beloved pocket monsters, attesting to the franchise’s strength.
Tokyo-based DeNA will co-develop Pokemon Trading Card Game Pocket with Creatures Co. for launch on both iOS and Android devices this year, Pokemon said. The announcement drove shares of DeNA, which had slumped to a three-and-a-half-year low, up by a record 24.4% on Wednesday.
The smartphone game was one of a flurry of announcements on the 28th anniversary of the first Pokemon game release. Pokemon’s international arm separately posted a two-minute teaser of its next title for Nintendo’s Switch console, Pokemon Legends: Z-A.
The trailer, which features a computer-generated Pikachu character running through Lumiose City, snagged 9.6 million views within hours of being posted. The game is slated for release worldwide in 2025, the trailer said.
Nintendo previously told its game-publishing partners the company was pushing back the launch of its Switch successor to the beginning of next year, from a widely-expected launch this year. Some of Nintendo’s partners were advised not to expect the still-unannounced console until March 2025 at the earliest.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.