Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket developer renamed and becomes full subsidiary
News
It seems the studio is now fully focused on the Pokémon TCG for mobile
Pokémon TCG Pocket developers DeNA Digital Production have rebranded as Pokémon Card D Studio
The rebrand indicates a sole focus on the development, and support, of the digital TCG
Pokémon remains one of the world’s most popular brands for video games and beyond
DeNA Digital Production the developer behind the upcoming digital version of the Pokémon trading card game, Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket, has been renamed and looks to now be solely focused on the game. As first reported by GamerBraves from an official press release, the studio has changed its name to Pokémon Card D Studio. It’s not their first foray into the world of Pocket Monsters, as the studio also developed Pokemon Masters EX.
However, this change is notable for a number of reasons. For one the Pokémon trading-card game remains one of the most popular in the world alongside heavyweights like Magic the Gathering and YuGiOh. The decision to make a digital version for mobile was a long time coming, and supporting a game like that will likely be a full-time job, so we can safely assume that DeNA, now Pokemon Card D, is in it for the long haul with this new title.
Gotta’ catch ’em all. Again (you’d have thought we’d be done by now)
Again, we cannot overstate just how big Pokémon is. And while it isn’t the pop-culture juggernaut it was in the 90s and early 2000s, it remains a huge money-maker. The decision to devote development full-time is hopefully one made with the assurance that Pokemon Card D Studio is now essentially set for life, or at least for as long as the game is successful since a digital version of such a popular TCG is almost guaranteed to attract thousands if not millions of players.
As for the rest of us, and maybe those that enjoy the other Pokémon games on mobile, is this threatening to cast a shadow that sucks in all the rest of these spin-offs? And what about good old Pokémon Go? Well, only time will tell what the fate of these games will be when the TCG juggernaut hits mobile.
Iwan Morris
Iwan is a Cardiff-based freelance writer, who joined the Pocket Gamer Biz site fresh-faced from University before moving to the Pocketgamer.com editorial team in November of 2023.
