The Video Game History Foundation has published early E3 event recordings, including Nintendo's May 1998 US presentation that first introduced Pokémon to American audiences after it had been a Japan-only phenomenon since its 1996 launch. The clip, which shows the Pokémon segment between the 23 and 29-minute marks, sheds light on how Nintendo used the franchise's explosive Japanese success to build anticipation ahead of its American debut, a strategy that helped Pokémon go on to become a global phenomenon.

The presentation included a promotional video citing striking Japanese sales figures achieved within just two years of the franchise's creation, such as over 8 million Game Boy game copies sold, more than 300 million trading cards sold, and the anime becoming the country's top-rated cartoon. The same E3 1998 showcase also featured the reveal of the Game Boy Color, priced at $79.95, and an appearance by Shigeru Miyamoto introducing The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, which the public got to play for the first time.