Official product information is now available regarding the upcoming Pokemon TCG set Fusion Strike. But the packaging might be teasing something new down the line called Pokemon TCG Live.
As reported on by Pokebeach, product information was released about the set Fusion Strike. This set is based loosely on the Japanese set, Fusion Arts, and will include additional cards that were cut from another set, Evolving Skies, due to the game's staggered release schedule. The information included the usual products players are used to with a new release, such as Booster Packs, Elite Trainer Boxes, Build & Battle Boxes, and Mini Portfolios.
However, the back of the products reveals a small but major change. All references to the Pokemon Trading Card Game Online app have been removed. Instead, they have been replaced with advertisements for something called Pokemon TCG Live.
This is potentially a huge development for fans of the card game. Simply put, the Pokemon Trading Card Game Online app has been woefully out of date for a long time. Aside from bug fixes and card list updates, there are no common features found in other card game companion apps. These include things like competing online games, competitive ladders, custom formats, and sealed tournaments. Worse still, Pokemon Trading Card Game Online's Trainer Challenges mode, which is meant to help teach new players the rules of the game, uses cards and rules that haven't been updated since the XY sets' release. If this is the first time you are hearing about this service and wonder why you can't find it on the app store, there's a reason for that as well; it was never made available officially on smartphones.
Sidebar, the developers of Pokemon Trading Card Game Online, Dire Wolf Digital, have received harassment and death threats by fans due to this lack of support. They have mentioned multiple times on social media that, due to one thing or another, their hands are tied with multiple projects, including a board game based on Frank Herbert's Dune. Death threats are, we hope needless to say, never an appropriate response to a game not getting the support you desire.
At time of writing we have no official information on what Pokemon TCG Live actually is or what services it will include. In fact, it is still unclear whether or not this will be a brand new app or just a rebranding of Pokemon Trading Card Game Online but with some major technical overhauls. Hopefully, The Pokemon Company will deliver more details closer to Fusion Strike's retail release on November 12 of this year.