The free-to-playPokemon Trading Card Game Pockethas surpassed $200 million in revenue in its first month since launch. It has now amassed $208 million in revenue, making itthe third most popular mobile title in the franchise.
It still has some way to go to reach the $6 billion revenuePokemon Gohas made over its lifetime, but looks likely to surpass the revenue ofPokemon Masters EX, which reached $300 million at the start of this year.
The enduring popularity of Pokemon
Pokemonstarted as a role-playing game on the Gameboy in 1996 with the physical trading card game launching later in the same year. Nearly 30 years later, millions of people still collect the original cards. Rare examples make headlines for the staggering values they achieve at auction.
The most expensive card is widely considered to be the Pikachu Illustrator Card, of which only 40 were made. Although questions have been raised about its authenticity, one such Illustrator card was bought by celebrity YouTuber turned wrestler Logan Paul, for $5.275 million. Ignoring this likely publicity stunt, highly graded Illustrator cards fetch over $500,000.
While the rarity and value of physical cards have proven a massive draw to some players, this same appeal doesn’t exist inTCG Pocket. Cards cannot be sold or auctioned off in the same way, which means, that unless things change, the digital cards will never hold the same value.
Pokemon TCG Pocket picks up the mantle
However, that hasn’t stopped fans from downloading the free-to-play title. The game had been downloaded 10 million times within the first 48 hours of launch and went on to surpass 30 million downloads in its first week. And, despite being free to play, this massive number of downloads has also led to some impressive revenues.
Players can buy Poke Gold which can then be used to buy booster packs, pay for stamina, or buy in-game accessories. Alternatively, players can also buy premium passes. A premium pass gives a free booster pack every 24 hours and access to special missions and other perks, representing themost affordable way to get extra boosters.
Between passes and Poke Gold, the game, which is developed by Creatures Inc. and DeNA, and distributed by The Pokemon Company, has racked up more than $200 million in revenue in its first month. This has seen it overtake all but twoPokemonmobile games. It surpassesPokemon Sleep, which has proven a surprise hit for a sleep tracker app, and hasPokemon Masters EXin its sights.
In January 2024, it was announced thatMasters EXhad generated $300 million in revenue, so it seems likely thatTCG Pocketwill overtake this in the coming months. However, it remains to be seen whether the digital trading card game can achievethe unprecedented success ofPokemon Go.
Pokemon Gois an augmented reality game that launched in 2016 and allowed players to catch Pokemon virtually anywhere in the world while attempting to take over gyms and battle other trainers. Since its launch,Gohas amassed nearly $1 billion a year in revenue and it is still going strong today, even eight years after its original launch.
Pokemon in 2025
#PokemonLegendsZA, an ambitious new entry to the Pokémon video game series, will launch on Nintendo Switch systems in 2025!pic.twitter.com/r2Rutaxg8V
Next up forPokemonfans will be the 2025 launch ofPokemon Legends: Z-A.Pokemon Legends: Z-Ais the second in the Legends series, after 2022’sLegends: Arceus. The action takes place in Lumiose City, which is loosely based in Paris, France. The game is being developed by Game Freak and was announced in February 2024.
No firm release date has been set as yet, but it will enjoy a global simultaneous launch on the Nintendo Switch and, if previousPokemontitles are anything to go by, it will likely become a huge hit.
