(Time Extension) Nintendo Of America Didn't Think Pokémon "Was Going To Take Off In The US", And It Wasn't Alone

[Le Reposteur]

"We looked at it and said, 'We don't get it. We don't know what this is.'".

Now we are a couple decades or so removed from the original launch of Pokémon in the West, it's hard to imagine there ever being a point where people were unsure about the possibility of it taking off outside of Japan.

But that was apparently a very real concern around the time of Red & Blue's release, with not only Nintendo of America doubting the series's potential, according to the former Nintendo of America localization director Leslie Swan, but also the toy manufacturer Toy Biz.

Read the full article on timeextension.com


Source: https://www.timeextension.com/news/2025 ... asnt-alone