Pokémon has now become one of the biggest franchises in the world today, spanning offerings across mediums. However, early fans will remember the good old days when it was mostly just the game, anime, and of course, the trading cards.
Well, the anime has moved on a fair bit, and the games keep rolling out, but unfortunately, the cards sort of fell by the wayside. Well, not for much longer. The Pokémon Company has announced a new mobile game slated for this year that is going to focus on the iconic trading cards.
The Pokémon Mobile Card Game will be Free-to-Play with In-Game Transactions
The announcement comes from The Pokémon Company itself, the game is going to be coming to mobile devices sometime in 2024. Titled Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket, the trailer was launched on The Official Pokémon YouTube channel just a few hours ago. There’s a fair bit to go over, but one thing is for sure, it’s going to be a nostalgic experience for a lot of fans.
The trailer opens by showing the action players will be doing the most in the game. Whereas in Pokémon Go, players had to flick upwards to throw a PokéBall, in this game players will swipe right to open a pack of cards. The trailer states players can open two free packs of cards every day, implying more packs and specialty packs can be purchased in the game.
The trailer also showed a zoomed-out version of the card collection, something all collectors are going to enjoy seeing. It looks like some of the cards with the original artwork (even chonky Pikachu) will be included! Players can also trade these cards with their friends with a simple tap, or engage in battles online.
The game will also offer Immersive Cards. These cards can be tapped and interacted with for special effects and to show the Pokémon in their natural habitat. The trailer showed the card fading away when tapped, showing the environment of the Pikachu and its neighboring Pokémon as well. No doubt these are going to be the most sought-after.
The Game is Developed as a Three-Way Partnership
Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket is a collaborative project between The Pokémon Company, Creatures Inc., and DeNA. The latter half of the trailer explained how the project was born. The game will be available on Android and iOS.
The cards have been designed to show off the colors and stylish effects of the original cards, mirroring the paper-like quality. The Pokémon trading card game will improve the existing battle system to make it more streamlined and allow players to hop into quick matches easily.
Pokémon Go also just launched a new event over the previous weekend and has been doing pretty well for itself over the past few months. While no major games are coming out for the Nintendo Switch, fans can keep themselves busy collecting their favorites once again.
Which original card do you want to see in the new trading card game? Let us know in the comments below!
