Hello trainers! Spotify and Higher Ground premiered the fourth and final chapter of The Big Hit Show, their documentary-style podcast that dissects pieces of pop culture that have defined the internet era and forever changed American culture. Available to stream now, get ready to catch ‘em all as season four of The Big Hit Show explores the the biggest hit of all time – “Pokémon.”
Over the course of five episodes, host and journalist Alex Pappademas will investigate how a Japanese video game from the 1990’s became the single highest grossing franchise in history – bigger than Star Wars and Harry Potter combined. How did these adorable pocket monsters evolve into a media supernova unlike any the world has ever seen? Chapter 4 takes listeners through the history of the Pokémon franchise, covering everything from its origin in the mid-90s, through its journey to becoming a global sensation full of video games, trading cards, animated series and even a feature film starring Ryan Reynolds! Throughout this season, Alex and his team of Pokémon trainers explore how and why the franchise has become a lasting global phenomenon at the forefront of pop culture and technology, because remember – Pokémon might faint and leave the battlefield for a little while… but they never die.
In the two-part season premiere we’re time-traveling to the dawn of the video game wars in 1990’s Tokyo. We’ll revisit Pokémon’s inception; reflect on the downfall of Atari; analyze how the invention of the Game Boy revolutionized the video game industry and created a unique opportunity for Pokémon’s creator, Satoshi Tajiri; and examine how the Pokémon experience was reinvented in 2016 when Pokémon GO released these adorable pocket monsters from behind the screen and brought them into our world.
You can listen to the first two episodes of The Big Hit Show Season 4 HERE.