Even if you don't watch the anime or play the games as much as you used to (or at all, I don't judge), there's no denying how massive a franchise Pokémon is. In fact, you might not know it, but Pokémon is literally the biggest media franchise in the world, having made over $80bn on its merchandise alone.
One aspect of Pokémon that isn't the best known in 2024 is the trading card game. You might have heard of people selling Charizard cards for tens of thousands of dollars, but otherwise, there's not much buzz among general audiences. Well, it was huge back in the day, and now has the potential to be big again, but on Android.
Pokemon TCG Is Coming To Smartphones This Year
Ah, I remember the days when I was young. I had Pokémon cards of my own — that holographic Zapdos was the prize of my collection — and I also have great memories of the Pokémon TCG game on the Nintendo Game Boy (which was surprisingly fun). So, hearing that Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket is a thing, and is going to be available on Android later this year, I am ecstatic.
It looks like the game is going to bring in the aspects of the game that we love so much, with some modern additions. For instance, according to the announcement video, you'll be able to battle with other players, which is the essence of the game.
However, the collection element might end up being the bigger thing, similar to how collecting the cards has usurped actually playing with them in the real world. The video shows that you'll be able to open booster packs to earn new cards. You'll get two free packs every day, which obviously hints us in on microtransactions to buy more booster packs. You'll also be able to trade with friends, which will add a social element to things.
There are also going to be “Immersive Cards”, which will provide a way to dive deeper into the illustrations of specific cards. That seems like a nice touch to take advantage of the new format that the game is coming to.
More About The Pokémon Trading Card Game
Beyond the fact that the game will be released on Android and iOS devices this year, we don't know much beyond what the announcement video and official webpage tell us. So, let's talk about the original game so you can better understand the hype.
Pokémon, as a franchise, was born in 1996 with the release of the first games on the original Game Boy. In the same year, the original Trading Card Game became a thing, and it came to the US in 1998 as the franchise rapidly gained popularity. The TCG alone became massive and was a big reason why Hasbro bought the card publisher Wizards of the Coast in 1999.
Pokémon has always stuck tightly to Nintendo consoles, but ever since the success of Pokémon Go, they've been a lot less reluctant to embrace smartphones, with things like Pokémon Sleep and Pokémon Unite demonstrating this.
I think the Pokémon TCG is one of the easier trading card games to get the hang of, especially compared to card games like Yu-Gi-Oh! So, hopefully, when the TCG comes to smartphones, you'll be playing. Let us know if you plan to!
