Pokémon TCG Pocket Dev Gifts Players Trade Tokens But Still Doesn't Have Answers to Fix Controversial Feature

Pokémon TCG Pocket developer Creatures Inc. has issued 1,000 Trade Tokens to players—enough for only two substantial trades—while continuing to address issues with the game's controversial trading mechanic. Players received these tokens silently in their Gift menu today. Creatures Inc. acknowledged player feedback and expressed gratitude for their patience via a post on X/Twitter.

The trading feature, introduced last week, immediately faced criticism, with the developer being described as "hilariously toxic," "predatory," and "downright greedy." This negative response stemmed from the restrictive nature of the trading system, which, like other in-game mechanics (pack openings and Wonder Picking), limits players' actions unless they spend real money. The initial implementation included Trade Tokens as an additional restriction, criticized for their high acquisition cost: players effectively had to delete five cards from their collections to trade one of the same rarity.

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A week after the controversial launch, the backlash continues. Creatures Inc. had previously acknowledged player concerns almost three weeks before the feature's release, stating, "Your concerns are seen... I'd like to invite everyone to try it and provide feedback." This initial statement led many to believe the system would be more player-friendly than it turned out to be. Creatures Inc. later admitted that "some of the restrictions... are preventing players from being able to casually enjoy" trading. The developer promised to address these issues by offering necessary items as rewards in future events, a promise broken by the February 3rd Cresselia ex Drop Event, which contained no such rewards.

Many believe the trading system is designed to boost Pokémon TCG Pocket's revenue, estimated at $200 million in its first month, before trading was even available. This suspicion is fueled by the inability to trade cards of 2-Star rarity or higher. The inability to easily trade for missing high-rarity cards forces players to spend significant sums ($10, $100, or more) on random card packs. One player reported spending approximately $1,500 to complete the first set, with the third set arriving just last week.