First launched in 1996, Pokemon has been one of the most successful franchises over the past couple of decades. Alongside the massively popular video games, Pokemon cards have also been around. Recently, these cards have started gaining massive popularity. Amidst this growing interest, The Pokemon Company International, the group behind the brand, has announced that it's buying the company behind printing the official Pokemon cards.
This uptick in demand for Pokemon cards was partly fueled by the prominence shown by popular content creators and collectors. The growing interest is such that the company publicly pledged to print more cards back in February 2021. As the value of these cards has jumped noticeably in the recent past, the likes of eBay announced that they will extend eBay's Authenticity Guarantee for Pokemon cards. The latest acquisition announcement indicates that the company is likely expecting this demand for Pokemon cards to rise even further.
According to the press release, The Pokemon Company International will be acquiring North Carolina-based Millennium Print Group for an undisclosed amount. The two companies have been working together since 2015 for its Pokemon Trading Card Game and The Pokemon Company expects the buyout will only further its capabilities and "scale to become a premier printer of trading cards." Although the statement also notes that the printing company will continue to function as a separate, autonomous organization while gaining "both investment and industry expertise from The Pokemon Company International."
The boost in demand for Pokemon cards was notably high during the pandemic with the company selling over 34 billion cards in 2020, which was 3.7 billion more than the previous year. At the same time, this spike has also attracted the attention of knock-off cards and resellers around the globe. For instance, back in November 2021, Chinese Customs Officers seized nearly 8 tons of counterfeit Pokemon cards. Even more recently, a California man was accused of stealing thousands of dollars' worth of Pokemon cards.
The acquisition of Millennium Print Group could indicate that the Pokemon company may also be looking to streamline and exercise better control over the Pokemon cards market. But nevertheless, its card ambitions aren't just limited to expanding printing efforts. The Pokemon company already announced the new Pokemon Trading Card Game Live with Nintendo and more recently, the popular Pokemon GO is also getting its own trading cards. While the future of the demand for Pokemon cards isn't necessarily set in stone, the excitement for the 25-year-old hobby looks promising, particularly with growing interest in the franchise in general.