The Pokémon Trading Card Game was officially launched nationwide in the United States on January 9, 1999.
Nintendo contracted Wizards of the Coast, the company behind Magic: The Gathering, to localize and publish the English-language Pokémon card game. Some stores offered cards for presale in December 1998, but the nationwide launch date was January 9, 1999.
The card game adapted Pokémon's creature battles into a tabletop format. Players build decks, use Energy cards to power attacks, and try to take Prize cards by defeating opposing Pokémon.
The launch date is often mixed up with the North American video game and anime debuts. Pokémon Red and Blue arrived in the United States in September 1998, and the anime began airing there the same month. The trading card game followed several months later.