Latest news with #PokemonTCGPocket
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Pokemon TCG Pocket pulls card art after apologizing for plagiarizing an illustration that an artist posted 4 years ago, leaving us with an unintentionally hilarious placeholder
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Update: Our resident Pokemon TCG Pocket experts have encountered the plagiarized, now-deleted Ho-Oh EX card art out in the wild, and the resulting placeholder card really is something to see, a barren artifact of a very rare and public screw-up for Pokemon art. Behold: Original story: We all make mistakes at work, but luckily, most of ours aren't as public as Pokemon TCG Pocket using fan art for Ho-Oh in the new expansion, Wisdom of the Sea and Sky, which seems to have affected two rare cards. Yesterday, an artist shared a tweet that showed the three-star rarity Ho-Oh EX card alongside their own artwork, a paid commission they'd posted to Twitter back in 2021. They simply captioned it with several question marks, and it has since garnered over 33.8 million views. Today, the official Pokemon TCG Pocket Twitter account released a statement: "It has come to our attention that there was a production issue regarding the illustration of Ho-Oh featured in the immersive card artwork for Ho-Oh EX (3-Star) and Lugia EX (3-Star)." It identifies the issue: "The card production team provided incorrect reference materials as official documents to the illustrator commissioned to create these cards." For now, both cards have been replaced with placeholder text that reads "New Art Coming Soon," and the statement affirms that new material will come "as soon as it's ready." While the statement doesn't directly mention the artist who alleges their work was used, it does offer apologies to "the talented illustrators who bring the Pokemon world to life" and reassures "we are also conducting a broader investigation to ensure no similar issues exist elsewhere in the game." The original artist shared a statement (with an English version they say they used "a translator" for) which reads: "I appreciate the prompt resolution and hope this matter rests here." Unfortunately, artwork that hasn't been licensed or commissioned ending up in games is nothing new. At least for Pokemon TCG Pocket, it's just two cards, but for the Marathon alpha, many designs were lifted from an indie artist without pay. While you're here, check out the best card games.


Time of India
31-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
The entire Pokemon TCG Pocket Ho-Oh card controversy explained
Image via The Pokemon Company. The Wisdom of Sea and Sky expansion is here in Pokemon TCG Pocket. This expansion has brought so much new content into the game first-partner Pokemon Chikorita, Cyndaquil, and Totodile. Not only that, new trainers from the Johta region have also been added. However, the highlight of the expansion has to be legendary Pokemons - Lugia and Ho-Oh. But who have ever thought that one of these two cards would have been the reason for the biggest controversy in the game's history, that too, before the actual release of the expansion. Pokemon TCG Pocket gets slammed by plagiarism controversy The Wisdom of Sea and Sky expansion has dropped on July 30, 2025, in Pokemon TCG Pocket. But one day prior to that, the dataminers already leaked the highly anticipated rare cards for Ho-Oh EX (3-Star) and Lugia EX (3-Star). And this is where all the controversy began. The community noticed that the design of the Ho-Oh card holds uncanny similarities with a 2021 fan artwork by Chinese artists Ianjiujiu. This comparison sparked serious altercations as if the company used this design unintentionally or it didn't care to take any permission at all. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Free P2,000 GCash eGift UnionBank Credit Card Apply Now Undo Even the artist himself went on to share a side-by-side comparison tweet of his work and the new Ho-Oh EX card in the game. It didn't take too long for Pokemon TCG Pocket to acknowledge its mistake as the official Twitter handle of the game has recently shared its response regarding the ongoing controversy. It says this is actually a 'production issue' by the card production team and it provided 'incorrect reference materials as official documents' , which happened to be the artwork by Ianjiujiu. The company also stated that both Ho-Oh EX and Lugia EX had been replaced by temporary placeholder cards displaying 'New art coming soon.' There has been no problem with the design of Lugia EX but as its animation featured Ho-Oh as part of a shared mural. So, Lugia's design was also removed as well. It is ensured by the company that it will conduct a broader investigation so that no similar issues ever exist elsewhere in the game. If it was any other card, there wouldn't have been this much controversy as Pokemon TCG Pocket would have pulled them out from the game. But both Ho-Oh EX and Lugia EX are one of the rarest cards in the game and both share each other's Immersive Art Animation. That's why this situation escalated so high. Read More: How to build the best Ultra Necrozma ex deck in Pokémon TCG Pocket? For real-time updates, scores, and highlights, follow our live coverage of the India vs England Test match here. Catch Rani Rampal's inspiring story on Game On, Episode 4. Watch Here!


Digital Trends
30-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Digital Trends
Pokémon TCG Pocket's latest expansion just dropped, with extra controversy
Pokémon TCG Pocket's latest expansion just dropped, and it brings brand-new cards, even more Pokémon, and a pretty serious slip-up with regard to copyright law. Dubbed Wisdom of Sea and Sky, the expansion offers two different packs to pull from: a Ho-Oh themed pack, and a Lugia-themed pack. The controversy stems from illustrations; after datamining, fans pointed out that the Ho-Oh EX and the Lugia EX card art were seemingly plagiarized. The original artist @lanjiujiu shared a post on X, and it's easy to see the similarities even at a glance. Although this isn't proof that assets were stolen (and Lanjiujiu made a statement asserting that), it was enough to raise eyebrows — and enough for Pokémon TCG Pocket to pull the art in favor of placeholders. The team released a statement addressing the concerns just after midnight this morning. 'After internal review, we discovered that the card production team provided incorrect reference materials as official documents to the illustrator commissioned to create these cards. As a result, both cards have been replaced with a temporary placeholder that the team is actively working to replace with new artwork as soon as it's ready.' We'd like to share an update about the upcoming expansion in #PokemonTCGPocket. — Pokémon TCG Pocket (@PokemonTCGP) July 30, 2025 That said, the situation isn't totally clear. There are indications that the original artwork was a commission from the Pokémon Company, in which case it likely already owns the art. Another consideration is that the legal terms of use stipulate the Pokémon Company potentially has the right to use fan art without notifying the original creator. Recommended Videos The legal statement reads, 'Distribution in any form and any channels now known or in the future of derivative works based on the copyrighted property trademarks, service marks, trade names and other proprietary property (Fan Art) of The Pokémon Company International, Inc., its affiliates and licensors (Pokémon) constitutes a royalty-free, non-exclusive, irrevocable, transferable, sub-licensable, worldwide license from the Fan Art's creator to Pokémon to use, transmit, copy, modify, and display Fan Art (and its derivatives) for any purpose. No further consideration or compensation of any kind will be given for any Fan Art.' In other words, feel free to enjoy the game and its expansions, but be aware that any art you share might one day be used without credit to you.


CNET
24-07-2025
- Entertainment
- CNET
One of the Rarest Pokemon in History Is Coming to Pokemon TCG Pocket
No honest person can resist the attraction of Pokemon Gold. That's why Pokemon TCG Pocket's Wisdom of Sea and Sky expansion set is going all in on generation two when it arrives on July 29. This set will be one of the game's larger offerings, featuring more than 200 cards. I'm sure that has the most ravenous collectors breathing a sigh of relief, since the past two expansions -- Eevee Grove and Extradimensional Crisis -- have both had smaller complimentary card lists to build on Celestial Guardians' generation seven theme. Read more: Every Free Pokemon Code and In-Game Item From Pokemon Presents July 2025 Though the full card list isn't available yet, we know Wisdom of Sea and Sky's chase cards will be generation two's legendary birds Ho-Oh and Lugia, while the addition of Umbreon and Espeon Ex variants will add more options for Eevee decks. Generation two starters and baby Pokemon like Togepi and Pichu are also prominently featured in the base set, which is a fun nod to the series' introduction of pocket monster breeding. Most importantly of all, the new set introduces one of the most important -- and rarest -- Pokemon ever. Gold and Silver's elusive raging sea monster was the first shiny Pokemon most trainers ever saw, changing forever how a number of players (including myself) would interact with the series. Red Gyarados is a generation two icon. It's the first shiny Pokemon most young trainers ever saw in-game. DeNA/Screenshot by CNET The hunt for the red Gyarados begins In the remote northern areas of the Johto region, you can find the Lake of Rage. This is the home of one of the rarest Pokemon alive: a Gyarados that's become a local legend with its different hue and particularly bad anger issues. The red Gyarados was the perfect addition to generation two: It served as an implicit explanation of shiny Pokemon, which were a new feature in the mainline Pokemon games, while also giving players a special, powerful monster to add to their team. It's a formative moment for anyone who picks up and plays Pokemon for the first time, and it's one of the best hooks to explain the appeal of the franchise nearly 30 years after its introduction. Pokemon TCG Pocket's initial generation two set paying homage to the red raging sea beast makes a ton of sense in this regard, and it's indicative of thoughtful set design from developer DeNA. Red Gyarados doesn't look like it'll be all that powerful in the mobile game, but the beautiful (and bombastically glittery) card art will endear it to many trading card collectors. If you miss out on one of the generation two starter Pokemon in the new expansion pack, the new trading system will make it easier than ever to swap with a friend. DeNA/Screenshot by CNET Pokemon TCG Pocket's trading system gets overhauled Say bye-bye to your trade tokens, because the mobile trading card game is getting a complete trading system overhaul soon. The changes to player trading will arrive July 29, launching concurrently with the Wisdom of Sea and Sky expansion set. As trade tokens are phased out of the game, you'll have the opportunity to convert this obsolete currency into pack hourglasses and stardust. This trade-in will be available for one year, so there's no rush to dump your tokens immediately -- just don't forget to get your value's worth. You'll still need to spend in-game currency to make a trade, but now you just have to spend stardust -- this is what you spend to unlock flairs that activate when you play your Pokemon in battle. Whereas there were very few ways to earn trade tokens, you earn stardust every time you open a card pack, making this a much more accessible resource. Since you'll need more stardust than ever to consistently trade with your friends, developer DeNA is doubling the amount you gain when you pull cards you already have. The mechanic of extra cards being consumed during a trade is also being done away with completely. It was silly that trading put you at a card deficit, so now you'll be able to make one-to-one swaps with other players. A wishlist is being added so you can indicate which cards you want to trade for with purely online friends. Since there's no way to chat with other players in Pokemon TCG Pocket, this will create a way to communicate before sending a trade offer. You can add up to 20 cards to your wishlist at a time. There will still be restrictions on trading that stymie how much I utilize the feature -- the highest rarity cards you can trade are one-star full arts, and new set expansions still have a temporary trade ban applied to them until they've been out for a couple of weeks. It's nice to see DeNA take steps toward making this feature more useful, though, because the original iteration of player trading was so costly and restrictive that it didn't feel worthwhile to engage with it.


The Verge
24-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Verge
Before Kalos, let's make a quick pitstop in Johto.
Posted Jul 24, 2025 at 1:52 PM UTC Before Kalos, let's make a quick pitstop in Johto. When Pokémon Legends: Z-A drops in October, everyone is going to be fawning over the franchise's updated Kalos region. But Pokémon TCG Pocket 's next set — Wisdom of Sea and Sky — is going to be all about monsters from the Johto region, and it looks like the expansion will introduce to some interesting new gameplay mechanics like attacks that don't require energy when it releases on July 30th. Follow topics and authors from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates. Charles Pulliam-Moore Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All Gaming Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All Nintendo Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All Pokemon