The first Pokémon Trading Card Game set was released in Japan on 20 October 1996.
The set was known as the 1st Starter & Expansion Pack and formed the beginning of the Pokémon TCG. It was published in Japan by Media Factory, while the game itself was developed by Creatures. The cards were based on the Pokémon video-game world and depicted the original Pokémon species.
The first Japanese set is often confused with the English Base Set. The English-language Pokémon TCG launched in the United States on 9 January 1999, more than two years after the Japanese debut. Wizards of the Coast initially held the American publishing license and produced the cards for the English market.
The TCG expanded the franchise beyond video games by combining Pokémon collecting with a competitive tabletop game. Players use Pokémon, Trainer, and Energy cards in battles, with decks and strategic rules that differ from the video games. Its first set therefore belongs to Pokémon’s first year, rather than to the later international boom.