Earlier this week, The Pokemon Company announced Pokemon Trading Card Game Pocket, a new digital iteration of the franchise’s widely popular trading card game. The revealed gameplay focused mainly on opening digital card packs and sharing them with friends, emulating the real life collecting experience in a virtual space.

Following the mobile app’s initial reveal, many were concerned that it would be based on Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs). NFTs have long been a controversial topic in gaming, mostly due to the perception that they are only used to churn profit as opposed to improve game experiences. The Pokemon Company has also expressed interest in NFTs in the past, adding to player concerns on top of how easily trading cards can be linked to an NFT concept.

Those concerned can now breathe a sigh of relief, as The Pokemon Company has issued a statement stating that Pokemon Trading Card Game Pocket will not feature NFTs. This statement was shared to Polygon, broadly stating that The Pokemon Company “has not developed or approved” any NFT related projects, in response to an inquiry from Polygon about the game’s development plans.

The Pokémon Company International has not developed or approved of Non Fungible Tokens (NFTs) related to the Pokémon brand and associated intellectual property. Fans should be aware that any NFTs in the marketplace featuring Pokémon intellectual property are unofficial and in no way affiliated with The Pokémon Company International or the Pokémon brand.

The Pokemon Company’s latter statement harkens back to their takedown of an unofficial Pokemon NFT project back in 2022, suggesting that they still do not think NFTs reflect well on the brand. We will be sure to report back on further developments as they come.

What do you think? Let us know in the comments.