PokéPark Kanto: New Pokémon Experience World Announced for Yomiuri Land
courtesy of The Pokémon Company
(eap) The Pokémon Company (a joint venture of Nintendo, Creatures and Game Freak for the brand and license management of the Pokémon franchise), the Japanese theme park Yomiuri Land and its parent company, the media conglomerate Yomiuri Shinbun Co., have announced that a Pokémon experience world – PokéPark Kanto – is to be created as part of Yomiuri Land. The theme park is located in a green area in the Tama Hills of the Kanto region, which inspired the digital setting for the first Pokémon video game “Pokémon Red and Green”, released in 1996. In 2021, The Pokémon Company and Yomiuri Land had already operated the temporary “Pokémon Wonder” experience trail, which allowed visitors to discover Pokémon characters in the midst of nature. As part of the planned project, a separate company with the name of PokéPark Kanto LLC is to be established, which suggests the creation of a more comprehensive, permanent Pokémon experience.
There is also speculation about the development of Pokémon-based theme parks in Europe, as Nintendo is said to have secured the trademarks of “PokéPark Paldea” and “PokéPark Kalos”. Paldea and Kalos are locations of the Pokémon video games inspired by regions in France and Spain. Following the first Nintendo-themed areas at Universal Studios Japan and Hollywood, a first stand-alone theme park would represent a significant step for the global video game publisher in the attractions industry. ■
