Creatures Inc., the developer behind the Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket, has recently gifted players 1,000 Trade Tokens—sufficient for only two significant trades—as part of ongoing efforts to address the controversial trading mechanic. Players who logged in today discovered these tokens in their Gift menu, with no accompanying message. However, Creatures Inc. took to X/Twitter to express gratitude for the feedback and patience from their community. The introduction of trading last week sparked intense criticism, with the developer being labeled "hilariously toxic," "predatory," and "downright greedy."
The trading feature in Pokémon TCG Pocket comes with multiple restrictions, including limitations on opening packs, Wonder Picking, and now trading without spending real money. The addition of Trade Tokens as an extra layer of restriction has been met with significant backlash due to the high cost associated with acquiring them. Players are required to delete five cards from their collection to trade one card of the same rarity, a system that has drawn widespread criticism.
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It has been eight days since Creatures Inc. introduced trading amidst fierce backlash. The developer had previously hinted at potential issues when it announced the feature nearly three weeks ago, acknowledging fans' concerns and inviting them to provide feedback upon its release. Despite these assurances, the implementation fell short of expectations. Creatures Inc. later admitted that some restrictions were hindering casual enjoyment of trading and promised to address these issues by offering required items as rewards in upcoming events. However, the recent Cresselia ex Drop Event, launched on February 3, failed to include such rewards, further disappointing fans.
The community believes that the trading system is designed primarily to boost revenue for Pokémon TCG Pocket, which reportedly earned $200 million in its first month, before trading was even implemented. The inability to trade cards of 2 Star rarity or higher further supports this notion, as it prevents players from easily acquiring missing cards, thus encouraging them to spend more on random chances through purchases. For instance, one player reportedly spent around $1,500 to complete the first set, with the third set arriving just last week.
