Pokemon TCG Pocket’s developer promised to improve the mobile title’s Trading feature after its implementation caused a stir among the community but players remain unconvinced.
Added to the popular offshoot of the physical card game on January 29, the feature includes various restrictions, including only allowing Trades between friends, requiring that cards Traded be of the same rarity, and requiring a new currency, Trade Tokens.
The prerequisites immediately led to disquiet in the community, with feedback ranging from direct criticism to suggestions on how to make the feature more user-friendly.
In an X/Twitter statement released on January 31, PTCGP’s developer confirmed it had received a “large number of comments,” regarding Trading, thanking players for their feedback before providing context for the system’s various restrictions.
“The item requirements and restrictions implemented for the trading feature were designed to prevent abuse from bots and other prohibited actions using multiple accounts,” the open letter continued, adding “Our goal was to balance the game while maintaining a fair environment for all players.”
PTCGP players remain skeptical
Despite promises that it was “actively investigating” the statement has been met with overwhelming skepticism on PTCGP’s subreddit.
Believing that Trading in TCG Pocket was implemented in an intentionally user-unfriendly state, one user claimed, “The plan all along. Release the dogs**t first version, then say ‘we listened to your feedback!’ And roll out the actual trade system, which is still s**t but slightly less s**t than having to trash five EX’s just to trade one.”
“Nothing here says they’re going to fix it. This whole statement is ‘We’ve heard your concerns. That’s all.’, came another reply.
Taking particular issue with the requirement to spend Trade Tokens to exchange cards with others, another user believed the anti-botting measures were coming at the expense of genuine player enjoyment.
“I love how in an attempt to stop bots and whatnot, they ruined the feature for everyone. Just get rid of tokens altogether.”
As of writing, Trading remains unchanged with no definitive timeline on when players can expect any improvements. If you’ve yet to try out swapping cards with friends in-game, check out our guide for all the information you need to start filling the gaps in your collections, including the brand-new expansion, Space-Time Smackdown.
