Pokemon 3DS Bundle Coming Next Month to Celebrate 20th Anniversary

As part of The Pokemon Company's avalanche of announcements today about the Pokemon franchise's 20th anniversary, the studio also confirmed that a New 3DS Pokemon bundle is coming to retailers soon.

The bundle comes with pre-installed copies of Pokemon Red and Blue, cover plates depicting Charizard and Blastoise, and the Pokemon 20th anniversary logo. Also included is a code to download a 3DS Pokemon home menu theme.

It arrives at retailers on February 27--the exact 20th anniversary of the launch of the Pokemon series back in 1996--though pricing for the system bundle has not been announced. Gamers in Japan are also getting limited-edition Pokemon-themed systems in the form of these retro-looking 2DS bundles.

European gamers, meanwhile, are getting these Pokemon 2DS systems.

You don't have to buy the new systems to get the classic Pokemon games, however. Pokemon Blue, Yellow, and Red are coming to the 3DS eShop on February 27, Nintendo announced earlier this year during a Nintendo Direct video briefing. Players can trade and battle their Pokemon wirelessly; this was not possible for the original games, which required a cable for multiplayer functionality.

For more on how The Pokemon Company plans to celebrate the Pokemon franchise's 20th anniversary, which includes a multi-million dollar ad at Super Bowl 50, check out this post.