Nintendo President Says The Pokémon Company Will 'Take Measures' to Respond to Widespread Card Scalping Issues

Nintendo's president has been asked to code the existent authorities of Pokémon trading paper shortages and scalping — a concern that galore fans consciousness is present worse than ever, contempt an astonishing 10 cardinal cards being printed past twelvemonth alone.

New paper launches are continually near sold retired owed to scalpers looking to marque a nett connected eBay, portion boxes of cards are present commonly the taxable of store thefts — including dozens of instances wherever trading paper stores person been breached into overnight. One paper store successful New York was precocious targeted by equipped thieves successful wide daylight, leaving terrified unit and shoppers held astatine gunpoint. In May, reports emerged of a Florida antheral who was arrested connected suspicion of stealing $12,000 of Pokémon cards portion wielding a battery-powered chainsaw. And successful April, different hopeless Pokémon instrumentality was arrested successful Pasadena, California, aft hiding wrong a closed Best Buy up of a Pokémon paper drop.

But with request entity high, what tin Nintendo and The Pokémon Company bash lick the contented for fans near incapable to bargain cards without having to fork retired much wealth themselves (or crook to a beingness of crime)?

The contented has go truthful high-profile that Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa was asked for his sentiment astatine a caller shareholder AGM — during which helium revealed that Nintendo was alert of the "issue," and discussed "appropriate ways to present products to consumers."

"With respect to the Pokémon Trading Card Game offered by The Pokémon Company, which is an equity-method subsidiary of Nintendo, we are alert of instances wherever limited-quantity cards are purchased successful ample volume, starring to high-priced reselling successful the market," Furukawa said, successful remarks present officially made nationalist by Nintendo.

"In response, The Pokémon Company is taking assorted measures, including made-to-order income and agreements with marketplace operators. For online precedence drawings for definite products, I recognize that The Pokémon Company besides plans to usage an relationship verification method that utilizes My Number Cards [Japan’s authoritative government-issued ID cards].

"Nintendo besides communicates with The Pokémon Company arsenic needed to sermon due ways to present products to consumers," Furukawa concluded. "We judge that The Pokémon Company volition proceed to instrumentality measures to respond to this issue."

The Pokémon Company precocious released a acceptable of astonishing income figures which showed the tremendous popularity of Pokémon cards, of which 85 cardinal person been produced to date. 10 cardinal cards were manufactured successful 2025 unsocial — much cards than the fig of radical connected the planet, and inactive obscurity adjacent enough.

Card manufacturing has been boosted importantly successful caller years to effort and support up with demand. 43 cardinal cards were printed successful the 25 years betwixt October 1996 and March 2022, but fundamentally the aforesaid magnitude again has present been released successful conscionable the past 4 years. And with the brand's eye-catching 30th day acceptable owed successful September, the concern is improbable to calm down anytime soon.

Image credit: Mario Tama/Getty Images.

Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You tin scope Tom astatine [email protected] oregon find him connected Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social