Pokemon-Themed Nintendo Direct Coming This Week

A Pokemon-themed Nintendo Direct briefing will air this week, the company has announced. The video event will be held Friday, February 26, starting at 7 AM PST / 10 AM EST.

A message on the Nintendo Direct website, one of the destinations where it will be broadcast, states the event will "celebrate 20 years of Pokemon." For its part, The Pokemon Company said in its own statement that fans should expect "big news" from the briefing.

Saturday, February 27, is the 20th anniversary of the Pokemon franchise's initial debut in Japan in 1996. It's also the date that classic Pokemon games Red, Yellow, and Blue will launch through the 3DS eShop. Additionally, Nintendo will release a New 3DS system themed around Pokemon featuring pre-installed copies of Red and Blue.

It's possible Nintendo will discuss these offerings during the briefing, though this is not confirmed. Another possibility is that Nintendo will dedicate some space to Pokken Tournament, the Pokemon fighting game that launches in March for Wii U.

This Nintendo Direct is just one part of Nintendo's celebration of the Pokemon franchise's 20th anniversary. During Super Bowl 50, The Pokemon Company aired a 30-second ad for the franchise, while many more events are also planned for the remainder of 2016.

GameSpot will also have some retrospective Pokemon features in the coming days. Check back soon for more.