Black market for Rare Cards comes to Pokémon TCG Pocket: What’s up with digital trading?

Pokémon TCG Pocket has sparked a lot of controversy and a whole black market for rare cards after the introduction of its trading mechanic, available since January 29th. According to IGN, many players are currently buying and selling digital cards on platforms such as eBay for between $5 and $10, taking advantage of a strategy that violates the terms of service but has created a booming business for speculators. To complete the transaction, sellers ask for friend codes and barter, which allows the cards to be resold without being lost in the process.

Controversy over this issue began after the introduction of the trading system, which requires users to spend tokens for each transaction. This has drawn criticism due to the high price of these tokens and the restrictions placed on access to higher rarity cards. In addition, the community has expressed dissatisfaction with the lack of a more direct and secure way to trade in-game, suggesting that the current system encourages the use of external applications such as Discord, Reddit, or even eBay.

Pokémon TCG Pocket developers already working on solutions

Despite warnings from Creatures Inc, the developer of Pokémon TCG Pocket, about the consequences of violating the terms of use, the black market continues to grow. Despite efforts to control the system, trading is still a way to obtain unique cards, and some users have spent thousands of dollars to complete their collections. For now, the company is looking into possible improvements to the system, but is not talking about any specific changes.

This phenomenon has sparked a great deal of debate about the monetization strategies of Pokémon TCG Pocket, which, with an estimated profit of $500 million in less than three months, is witnessing its trading system become a breeding ground for the buying and selling of rare cards, violating all ethics and the rules of the game itself.

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