Home Gaming In pictures. Zelda, Pokémon, Sonic, Tomb Raider… These cult game licenses…

In pictures. Zelda, Pokémon, Sonic, Tomb Raider… These cult game licenses…

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Brandon Lee
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Maelys Courpotin and Léon Casini

Maelys Courpotin and Léon Casini

You know them all: Tomb Raider, Sonic, Pokémon, The Legend of Zelda… These licenses have forever marked the world of video games. Children and adults, on PlayStation, Xbox or Nintendo consoles (from Game Boy to Switch 2).

Many of them are celebrating an important birthday this year (we’re not getting any younger unfortunately). The opportunity to look back on their history and what made them popular with the general public.

In pictures. Zelda, Pokémon, Sonic, Tomb Raider… These cult game licenses…

Dragon Quest is one of the most cult video game licenses, released for the first time on May 27, 1986, on Famicom and MSX. In this role-playing game you play a knight tasked with defeating several monsters to save his kingdom as well as the princess, kidnapped by a dragon. If the plot is very classic, it is this, as well as the turn-based combat system and the graphics, supervised by the author of Dragon Ball, Akira Toriyama, which marked the players. If the license is more popular in Japan than in the West today, it still represents nearly 91 million sales worldwide. The latest opus, Dragon Quest VII Reimagined, was released on February 6 on all platforms. - Enix/ Akira Toriyama / Enix/ Studio Square Enix

Dragon Quest

Pikachu, the little electric Pokémon and all his peers are 30 years old! It was on February 27, 1996, on Game Boy that the first games of the license were released, Pokémon Rouge and Pokémon Vert (Red and Blue in France). The mythical Charizard (an orange dragon) and Florizarre (a giant toad with a huge flower on its back) are the emblems on the cover. Initially there were only 151 Pokémon. Today, after nine generations and more than 23 games, there are more than 1,000. Fun Fact: it was not Pikachu who was chosen as the mascot at the start, but the Pokémon Clefairy. But considered too “feminine” it was the little yellow mouse that took its place. A choice that paid off.

Pikachu, the little electric Pokémon and all his peers are 30 years old! It was on February 27, 1996, on Game Boy that the first games of the license were released, Pokémon Rouge and Pokémon Vert (Red and Blue in France). The mythical Charizard (an orange dragon) and Florizarre (a giant toad with a huge flower on its back) are the emblems on the cover. Initially there were only 151 Pokémon. Today, after nine generations and more than 23 games, there are more than 1,000. Fun Fact: it was not Pikachu who was chosen as the mascot at the start, but the Pokémon Clefairy. But considered too “feminine” it was the little yellow mouse that took its place. A choice that paid off. - The Pokémon Company / Gamewave

Pokémon

Sonic celebrated his thirty-five birthday on January 16, 2026. SEGA's little blue hedgehog has come a long way since his first appearance on Mega Drive in 1991 in the game Sonic the Hedgehog. Designed by Naoto Œshima, Hirokazu Yasuhara and programmer Yuji Naka, he was created to become Sega's mascot and competes with Nintendo and Mario, popular since 1985 with the general public. He replaced Alex Kidd at the time, who did not convince the players. Sonic today represents nearly 70 million copies of games sold for more than a hundred games, in which he is the main character or makes an appearance.

Sonic celebrated his thirty-five birthday on January 16, 2026. SEGA’s little blue hedgehog has come a long way since his first appearance on Mega Drive in 1991 in the game Sonic the Hedgehog. Designed by Naoto Œshima, Hirokazu Yasuhara and programmer Yuji Naka, he was created to become Sega’s mascot and competes with Nintendo and Mario, popular since 1985 with the general public. He replaced Alex Kidd at the time, who did not convince the players. Sonic today represents nearly 70 million copies of games sold for more than a hundred games, in which he is the main character or makes an appearance. - SAW / Cosmocover

Sonic

Lara Croft will be 30 years old on October 24, 1996! It's one of the first games to feature a woman as the main character. The British adventurer and the universe in which she operates were developed by Core Design. In this action-adventure game, there are numerous action scenes, mixed with phases of exploration and puzzles. Lara Croft oscillates between the image of a feminist icon, strong in character, intelligent and powerful and that of sexual fantasy, notably because of her design. The license was also brought to the cinema, with more or less success. A series is currently in production with actress Sophie Turner (Game of Thrones) to play Lara Croft.

Lara Croft will be 30 years old on October 24, 1996! It’s one of the first games to feature a woman as the main character. The British adventurer and the universe in which she operates were developed by Core Design. In this action-adventure game, there are numerous action scenes, mixed with phases of exploration and puzzles. Lara Croft oscillates between the image of a feminist icon, strong in character, intelligent and powerful and that of sexual fantasy, notably because of her design. The license was also brought to the cinema, with more or less success. A series is currently in production with actress Sophie Turner (Game of Thrones) to play Lara Croft. - Crystal Dynamics / Tomb Raider & Cie

Tomb Raider

No, Zelda is not the little blond elf in the green hat. We've been saying it for forty years, since the release of the first game on the NES: The Legend of Zelda. This character in a green tunic is Link, the hero responsible for saving Princess Zelda for almost 21 games. This license launched its first game on Game Boy in 1993, entitled “Links Awakening”. Their latest game,

No, Zelda is not the little blond elf in the green hat. We’ve been saying it for forty years, since the release of the first game on the NES: The Legend of Zelda. This character in a green tunic is Link, the hero responsible for saving Princess Zelda for almost 21 games. This license launched its first game on Game Boy in 1993, entitled “Links Awakening”. Their latest game, “The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom” will be released in 2024. In the meantime, all games are released only on Nintendo consoles, from the Game Boy to the Game Cube to Nintendo Switch 1 and 2. The most iconic opuses are Ocarina of Time in 1998, Breath of the Wild in 2017, and Tears of the Kingdom in 2023. In 2026, Zelda is already celebrating her 40th birthday. Although there is no new game announced, a film is planned for 2027.– NintendoNintendo

The Legend of Zelda

Halo is the FPS par excellence. The game was released on November 15, 2001 under the name Halo Combat Evolved, for Xbox. The main character Spartan John-117 and his accompanying artificial intelligence, Cortana, have achieved cult status. The first game is also considered one of the best first-person shooter games on console, and has become one of Xbox's flagship products. There are 14 games and the latest, Halo Infinite, was released in 2021. A remake of the first game, Halo Campaign Evolved is planned for 2026, and two other projects are currently in production by Halo Studios.

Halo is the FPS par excellence. The game was released on November 15, 2001 under the name Halo Combat Evolved, for Xbox. The main character Spartan John-117 and his accompanying artificial intelligence, Cortana, have achieved cult status. The first game is also considered one of the best first-person shooter games on console, and has become one of Xbox’s flagship products. There are 14 games and the latest, Halo Infinite, was released in 2021. A remake of the first game, Halo Campaign Evolved is planned for 2026, and two other projects are currently in production by Halo Studios. - Halo Studios / Xboxygen

Halo

Persona is a role-playing game saga in nine episodes. The first, Revelations: Persona, released on June 20, 1996 by the Japanese studio Atlus, is a spin-off of a very popular game series in Japan: Megami Tensei. Revelations: Persona is the first game in the Megami Tensei universe to be released in the West, giving it phenomenal international success. We play high school students forced to face an invasion of demons with the help of their Persona, a manifestation of their psyche.

Persona is a role-playing game saga in nine episodes. The first, Revelations: Persona, released on June 20, 1996 by the Japanese studio Atlus, is a spin-off of a very popular game series in Japan: Megami Tensei. Revelations: Persona is the first game in the Megami Tensei universe to be released in the West, giving it phenomenal international success. We play high school students forced to face an invasion of demons with the help of their Persona, a manifestation of their psyche. - Atlus / Instant Gaming News

Persona

How to miss the birthday of one of the most cult characters of the PlayStation, Crash Bandicoot. First developed by Naughty Dog and released for the first time on PlayStation in Europe on November 9, 1996, this platform game left its mark on a whole generation of gamers. Well received despite a lack of innovation in the world of platform games, it became the eighth best-selling game on the Sony console with 6.82 million sales. And if 30 years have passed, Crash's main enemy, his creator, Dr. Neo Cortex still remains his worst enemy, who we can face in the latest opus: Crash Bandicoot 4, It's About Time, released in 2021.

How to miss the birthday of one of the most cult characters of the PlayStation, Crash Bandicoot. First developed by Naughty Dog and released for the first time on PlayStation in Europe on November 9, 1996, this platform game left its mark on a whole generation of gamers. Well received despite a lack of innovation in the world of platform games, it became the eighth best-selling game on the Sony console with 6.82 million sales. And if 30 years have passed, Crash’s main enemy, his creator, Dr. Neo Cortex still remains his worst enemy, who we can face in the latest opus: Crash Bandicoot 4, It’s About Time, released in 2021. - Naughty Dog/Activision Blizzard / Retro-games.fr/ Steam

Crash Bandicoot

This is not a birthday like any other, but rather that of one of the pillars of modern video games. Castlevania is the story of a family of vampire hunters, who must fight against a Dracula closer to the Christian representation of evil than to Bram Stoker's character. Developed by Konami on the Amiga, there are now more than twenty different games. It was released for the first time in Japan on September 26, 1986. Its platform game system with several levels where you have to face or flee enemies and avoid traps has inspired many successful creations including Hollow Knight or Ori and the Blind Forest.

This is not a birthday like any other, but rather that of one of the pillars of modern video games. Castlevania is the story of a family of vampire hunters, who must fight against a Dracula closer to the Christian representation of evil than to Bram Stoker’s character. Developed by Konami on the Amiga, there are now more than twenty different games. It was released for the first time in Japan on September 26, 1986. Its platform game system with several levels where you have to face or flee enemies and avoid traps has inspired many successful creations including Hollow Knight or Ori and the Blind Forest. - Konami / Reddit

Castlevania

Just like Castlevania, Metroid is celebrating its 40th anniversary. And just like Castlevania, it is one of the games that inspired Hollow Knight or Ori and the Blind Forest, which we call metroidvanias. The game, in which you play a galactic soldier, Samus, was released by Nintendo on August 6, 1986, first on the Famicom then on the NES. Despite its fairly high level of difficulty at the time, it was a great success. The last game, Metroid Prime 4 Beyond, released in 2025 disappointed many fans, who had been waiting for a new game since 2016.

Just like Castlevania, Metroid is celebrating its 40th anniversary. And just like Castlevania, it is one of the games that inspired Hollow Knight or Ori and the Blind Forest, which we call metroidvanias. The game, in which you play a galactic soldier, Samus, was released by Nintendo on August 6, 1986, first on the Famicom then on the NES. Despite its fairly high level of difficulty at the time, it was a great success. The last game, Metroid Prime 4 Beyond, released in 2025 disappointed many fans, who had been waiting for a new game since 2016.– NintendoNintendo

Metroid

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