Pokémon TCG Pocket to overhaul card collection experience for long-term player retention

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Story Highlights

  • DeNA’s Q1 2025 report noted a drop in long-term player retention compared to the game’s early years.
  • The team plans to roll out a major update later this year and are currently exploring various development options.
  • The game maintains 39 million monthly players, with most revenue from outside Japan.

DeNA has revealed plans for a significant overhaul of the Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket, aiming to rectify persistent criticisms regarding its card collection mechanism. Since its release, the gaming community has expressed dissatisfaction, and this discontent has contributed to a decline in player retention, as indicated in the latest financial report.

Pokémon TCG Pocket aims to boost player retention with a major Collection system overhaul

In simpler terms, DeNA’s Q1 2025 financial report reveals that fewer players are sticking with the game compared to its early days. To address this issue, they plan to introduce a major update by the end of the year, which aims to make card collection less frustrating and more rewarding instead.

DeNA stated that “boosting user retention and login frequency through strategies like optimizing the collection process is a top priority.” Although details haven’t been disclosed yet, there are already discussions among the community about potential updates, ranging from a unified Pack Point system to implementing a more lenient pity mechanism.

The game stays strong with 39M Players as it targets long-term engagement

Speaking of which, the game continues to thrive, attracting approximately 39 million players each month. More than half its earnings are generated from regions beyond Japan, positioning it as one of the most successful mobile Trading Card Games (TCG), competing with the leaders in its genre.

In this scenario, the upcoming changes are particularly welcome, as they aim to address one of the game’s main areas of criticism. By refining a problematic system, DeNA is looking to enhance the game’s lasting appeal. A similar strategy can be observed in Brawl Stars, with Masteries being eliminated, increased rewards for free-to-play users, and other improvements being implemented.

The upcoming changes are a good move since they focus on improving one of the game’s most criticized aspects. By enhancing a problematic system, DeNA hopes to make the game more engaging in the long run. Brawl Stars is also making improvements, such as removing Masteries, offering better rewards for free players, and more.

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2025-08-12 13:13