Key Takeaways
- New booster packs are coming to Pokemon Trading Card Game Pocket before year-end.
- Limited trading for “certain cards” begins in January 2025.
- Restrictions likely aim to prevent players selling rare cards for profit.
Yesterday, the Pokemon Trading Card Game Pocket operations team outlined its plans for the game’s short-term future. It was confirmed that new booster packs would arrive earlier than expected, before the end of the year, “new features” were in development, and trading would arrive for “certain cards” in January.
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While much of this is exciting news for the game’s rabid fan base, the wording around the upcoming trading feature sent waves of concern throughout.
Limited Trading Is Coming To Pokemon Trading Card Game Pocket
In its official announcement, the Pokemon TCG Pocket team said, “We are aiming to add a feature that allows certain cards to be traded starting in January 2025. We are planning to gradually expand the selection of cards that are able to be traded.” The news is what players have been waiting for. Kind of.
The operations team’s use of the words “certain cards” immediately dampened excitement for the new feature. One player on the game’s subreddit said, “RIP to me and my fellow F2P players trying to complete collections,” with a second adding, “Yeah, disappointing to hear. Not sure why it has to be a slow rollout.”
RIP to me and my fellow F2P players trying to complete collections.
Following the news, the subreddit started to unpack just why Pokemon Trading Card Game Pocket’s trading would be limited, and the consensus was “to stop people from selling the immersive arts for real $$$.
In similar games, players have been known to create multiple accounts, often using bots, to farm dozens of rare cards. These cards are then sold on online marketplaces, making the botter a lot of cash and exploiting others in the process.
It’s a move that has been seen time and time again in mobile titles like this, with Pokemon GO, for example, restricting the trades players can make. For context, players need to be level ten or above, and certain Pokemon can’t be traded. Special trades are given a daily limit and cost more Stardust.
It’s a move that, in the wider climate, makes sense, but it doesn’t make the initial shock of it any less disappointing.
Experience the fun of collecting Pokémon Trading Card Game (TCG) cards with Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket, an upcoming game for iOS and Android devices from Creatures Inc., the original developers of the Pokémon TCG, and DeNA Co., Ltd.
In this game, you will be able to open two booster packs every day at no cost. You can collect digital cards featuring nostalgic artwork from the past as well as brand-new cards that are exclusive to Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket.
Be on the lookout for new “immersive cards,” which will make you feel as though you’ve leapt into the world of the card’s illustration.