Pokémon TCG Pocket Dev Offers Trade Tokens, Yet to Address Controversial Feature Issue

Creatures Inc., the developer behind Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket, has made a gesture towards its player base by distributing 1,000 Trade Tokens to each account. These tokens, which are sufficient for only two significant trades, come as the company continues to explore solutions to address the controversial trading mechanic introduced recently. Players logging in today will discover these tokens in their Gift menu, although no accompanying message was sent. Instead, Creatures Inc. took to X/Twitter to express gratitude for the feedback and patience shown by the community. The trading feature, which was rolled out last week, faced severe backlash, with the developer being labeled as "hilariously toxic," "predatory," and "downright greedy."

The standard mechanics of Pokémon TCG Pocket already limit players' ability to open packs or engage in Wonder Picking without spending real money, and the new trading system adds another layer of restriction with these Trade Tokens. The high cost of acquiring these tokens has been a significant point of contention, requiring players to remove five cards from their collection to trade one card of the same rarity.

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It has been eight days since the trading feature was introduced, and the backlash has been significant. Creatures Inc. had previously warned that fans might not be satisfied with the feature when it was outlined nearly three weeks ago, stating, "Your concerns are seen. Once this feature becomes available, I'd like to invite everyone to try it and provide feedback." This led many to hope for a more favorable implementation, but the reality fell short of those expectations. In response, Creatures Inc. acknowledged that "some of the restrictions put in place are preventing players from being able to casually enjoy" trading.

The developer promised to address these concerns by introducing required items as rewards in future events. However, this promise has not yet been fulfilled, as the recent Cresselia ex Drop Event, launched on February 3, did not include these rewards. Players have criticized the trading system as a revenue-generating tactic, especially considering Pokémon TCG Pocket's estimated $200 million earnings in its first month before trading was introduced.

The inability to trade cards of 2 Star rarity or higher further supports this theory. If players could easily trade for the cards they need, they would be less inclined to spend money on packs for a chance at obtaining them. For example, one player reportedly spent around $1,500 to complete the first set, while the third set in three months was released just last week.