Summary
GameStop has discontinued pre-orders forPokemon TCGproducts, and purchase limits will be set for select products going forward. Although this decision was intended to help more fans have access to newPokemon TCGproducts at launch, many Pokemon fans are unhappy and voicing their concerns.
More than 30 years later,Pokemon TCGfans around the world are still forming decks featuring their favoritePokemon. Many fans enjoy playing the card game and battling their friends, and others enjoy collecting the cards and reselling rare cards. In some cases, rarePokemon TCGcards can be sold for thousands or even millions of dollars. Pre-orders are one way that fans can get ahead and ensure they have new cards on launch day, but it’s also an opportunity for resellers to pre-order subsets in bulk. To address the long-standing issue, GameStop is making changes to the way fans can purchasenewPokemon TCGpacks and products.
The official Twitter account for GameStop announced that the company will no longer offer pre-orders forPokemon TCGproducts. Purchase limits will be set for selectPokemon TCGSKUs, and GameStop will offer free card savers and sleeves for PSA grading submissions on launch weekends at Rip and Submit events. According to GameStop, the company’s goal is to ensure fans have more opportunities to experienceexcitingPokemon TCGreleases in storesinstead of limiting access to early buyers and resellers through pre-orders.
GameStop Discontinues Pokemon TCG Pre-Orders and Imposes Purchase Limits on Select SKUs
However,Pokemon TCGcollectors and fans aren’t happy, with many saying that they now have to wait in line at GameStop for hours duringPokemon TCGlaunches. Other fans are worried that theirhobby of collectingPokemoncardsis ruined, since access to cards will be more restricted if there’s heavy demand on launch day. For some fans, pre-orders ensured that they were able to purchase and obtainPokemon TCGproducts online or in-store at GameStop, and now there’s some uncertainty in the community.
The nextPokemon TCGrelease is the Hot Wind Arena subseton March 14 in Japan, with 30 booster packs per box and more than 60 cards to collect. Sinnoh Champion Cynthia is a main highlight of Hot Wind Arena, and she will be featured alongside several other cards fromPokemon Gold and SilverandPokemon Scarlet and Violet. It’s unclear when exactly Hot Wind Arena will release outside of Japan, but pre-orders being discontinued at GameStop could make thePokemon TCGsubset’srelease more contentious among fans in the community once it’s available in the US.
