The Pokémon Company has announced plans to kill The Pokémon Trading Card Game Online, after being around for more than a decade. In its place will be The Pokémon Trading Card Game Live, which is currently in its beta phase.
According to The Pokémon Company, the upcoming TCG Live will act as the replacement for TCG Online. Currently, no date has been announced for the app’s removal, but it was noted that there would be no new cards added after March 1.
Players worried about their progress in Pokémon TCG Online will be happy to know that they can transfer their accounts to Pokémon TCG Live. While it’s good that the company thought of players and their progress, closing a beloved game that’s been around for more than a decade is still shocking.
"The Pokémon TCG Online will be sunsetted prior to the official launch of Pokémon TCG Live so that saved content in players’ Pokémon TCG Online accounts can be migrated to Pokémon TCG Live, helping to ensure a more seamless transition for players,” claims the company. “This also provides a more optimal experience by merging all fans into one online game, offering a greater pool of people to digitally play the Pokémon TCG."
Details on when Pokémon TCG Online will be removed haven’t been revealed, though news on that will reportedly come soon. In the meantime, fans can still enjoy what’s left of the game with their friends, at least until Pokémon TCG Live comes out. Hopefully, this is a rebranding done well since fans are still burned from previous live-service sequels.
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Beyond that, things continue to be healthy for the Pokémon TCG. It was recently revealed that Kadabra would be making its long-awaited return after a lawsuit prevented the Psychic-type from more printings. More cards based on the Scarlet and Violet video games are also expected to come out soon.