Since 1996, Pokémon TCG (Trading Card Game) has been one of the most popular exponents of collectible card games. However, fans of the franchise have long been asking The Pokémon Company to make an official application for cell phones, so they can collect cards and open decks digitally. And to celebrate Pokémon Day, the company surprised its fans with that very announcement.
Soon you will be able to collect cards and trade with friends in Pokémon TCG Pocket
During the Pokémon Presents that aired today for Pokémon Day, Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket was officially announced. This is a digital version of the franchise’s classic trading card game that will seek to have a social mode similar to Pokémon Go, where players will be able to open packs daily, appreciate the detailed artwork on their cards, build special decks, trade with friends and even face off against each other in intense matches. Pokémon TCG Pocket is being developed by Creatures Inc. (The creators of the original physical game) and DeNA (The developers of Pokémon Masters EX) and will be released on iOS and Android systems in 2024.
It should be noted that there was already an official application to play Pokémon TCG, called Pokémon Trading Card Game Live, but this had a greater focus on the competitive arena and online fights between players. Not to mention that it was criticized by fans for its poor performance on mobile devices. Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket, on the other hand, aims to bring the full physical card game experience to the digital world, complete with daily packs to open and interactive card models. Some even have illustrations so detailed that they can be explored in depth.
Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket looks impressive, and not only will Pokémon TCG veterans like it, but it has the potential to appeal to a whole new audience. However, some people have their concerns: Being developed by the same studio responsible for Pokémon Masters EX, there are concerns that it will be packed with microtransactions that could ruin the experience. While it’s very likely that digital packs of cards can be purchased with real money, no information about microtransactions was revealed yet, so we can’t say for sure if they will ruin the game or not.
Pokémon is a huge franchise with many, many different options, such as the main video games, spin-offs or anime. So many people forget that Pokémon TCG has a huge competitive community. But of course, getting into this collectible card game can be intimidating and expensive due to the prices of physical cards. Therefore, Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket has the potential to make it more accessible and become one of the most popular mobile installments of the franchise, just like Pokémon Go.
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