The developer of the Pokémon Trading pocket card game, Creatures Inc., has finally revealed how the upcoming trading feature will work, but community response was so destitute that an additional response had to be released.
As expected, and perhaps also feared, by the Pokémon TCG Pocket community, there are some pretty sedate restrictions on the upcoming trading mechanic, which still doesn’t have a release date despite being confirmed for January. Creatures Inc. announced it on X/Twitter.
The main reason for complaints is the inability to exchange cards with a rarity of at least 2 stars. This means that cards with ex-tier alternate art cannot be traded, either in their base forms, rainbow-bordered forms, immersive forms, or gold forms (crown rarity).
Creatures Inc. stated that “only certain cards from the Genetic Apex and Mythical Island booster packs will be able to be traded”, though it is unclear whether this only refers to the 2-star minimum restriction or whether trading of further cards is prohibited.
This all confirms that the trade will arrive with the next full set, which is also due in January. Creatures Inc. probably emphasizes that these modern cards cannot be traded once they are released, but will apparently open up to this feature later when it is less essential. This also means that often time-limited exclusive promotional cards cannot be traded.
Other trade restrictions also apply. Cards can only be traded between friends, which the community has deemed reasonable, and only cards of the same rarity can be traded, which has also been accepted. The final element that frustrates many is that “items must be consumed before they can be replaced.”
It’s not clear what exactly this means. Pokémon TCG Pocket uses Hourglasses to control certain features, including opening packs, selecting miracles, and event battles. One booster pack can be opened for free once every 12 hours, and one Pack Hourglass, for example, reduces this time by one hour.
It is therefore possible that Trade Hourglasses will be implemented as an item, which will essentially reduce the frequency of trading without spending real money. Another popular theory is that Shinedust, an item considered by many to have little value because it only changes the appearance of cards, will also work well in trading.
Payday
This mechanic, along with other restrictions, will likely be implemented to encourage (and maintain) player spending, as Pokémon TCG Pocket launched on October 30 and is estimated to have grossed $200 million in its first month alone.
This huge sum of money comes as the digital TCG game follows the standard model of mobile and free-to-play games, flooding players with rewards in the first few days before they soon run out, with spending real money the only real way to get back Experience this thrill beyond the occasional drop like Mythical Island.
Completing Genetic Apex, the first card set that officially has 226 cards but also includes 60 sporadic cards with alternate art, is estimated to take players spending no money for about two years, while those looking to make it rain will be able to complete the collection after dropping around $1,500.
Trading is undeniably a powerful addition to Pokémon TCG Pocket that will improve the overall player experience, but fans have complained that it is also quite clearly being implemented as a way to boost revenue. Items consumed to trade certainly allude to this, as whether it’s a Trade Hourglass, Shiny Dust, or something else, players wanting to trade more often than the game deems okay will have to pay real money to do so.
This is also evidenced by the inability to trade cards with a rarity of 2 stars or higher, which after almost three months of play for dedicated fans, constitutes the majority of the cards they are still missing. However, making these cards available for trading would pose a threat to Creatures Inc.’s revenues; if players could instantly replace their missing cards, they wouldn’t have to spend $10 or $100 to get a random chance to get them.
As noted by the player who spent $1,500 to complete the first set, it is these last items that are the most challenging to obtain and therefore require the most money spent. The standard $9.99 purchase option nets you 57 PokéGold, an item that can be used to replace any otherwise available Hourglass, but at an increased price. For example, one PokéGold replaces two Package Hourglasses.
The $9.99 spend allows players to open 28 booster packs for a total of 140 cards. Booster packs function the same as their real-world counterparts, i.e., in a digital sense, loot boxes, meaning that nothing of (relative) value is guaranteed, no matter what specific card players are looking for.
Pokémon TCG Pocket offers a gentle alternative to finding these cards in the form of Pack Points; players earn five for each pack opened, which can be exchanged for any card in the set.
However, exchanging a 2-star rarity card costs 1250 Pack Points. This means players must open a total of 250 booster packs or PokéGold worth approximately $220 per card. Considering there are 29 different 2-star rarity cards in the first set, as well as three 3-star rarity cards that cost 1,500 Pack Points and three Crown rarity cards that cost 2,500, there are some pretty sobering restrictions on this mechanic.
Commercial complaints
Therefore, the trade was seen as a savior for players looking to collect every card (which is encouraged in-game through missions and rewards), but those hopes were all but dashed given the announcement of Creatures Inc.
“At least not being able to redeem 2 stars makes me want to quit the game,” Ligalois further said Reddit. “Garbage system,” said Ashamed-Teaching6837. “So the extra 3-star cards are just dead cards. What bullshit,” Analogmon said.
Social media is full of such complaints, which have seemingly grown to the point that Creatures Inc. must have given a sporadic answer.
“Thank you all for your immediate thoughts on this,” Creatures Inc. said. later X/Twitter post. “Your concerns are visible. When this feature becomes available, I would like to invite everyone to try it out and provide feedback. This way the game can continue to evolve in a way that is enjoyable for everyone.” Most importantly, Creatures Inc. it gave no assurances that it would consider these criticisms and attempt to make changes.
Ryan Dinsdale is a freelance reporter for IGN. He will talk about The Witcher all day long.
Credit: herosweb.com
