With its popularity seemingly forever increasing, and stock almost always continually depleted in response, The Pokemon Company has made a major business decision that should pay immediate dividends, at least in the United States.
As announced earlier on Thursday, The Pokemon Company has entered an agreement to acquire Excell Brands, the leading distributor for TCG products in the United States. Excell is Pokemon’s largest distribution partner in the country, making the deal a somewhat no-brainer.
“This reflects our long-term commitment to supporting the Pokemon community and the broader trading card ecosystem,” Kenji Okubo, President of The Pokemon Company International, said in a statement. “Excell Brands has built a strong reputation as a trusted distributor and category management partner for their customers with deep insight into the needs of Pokemon fans.”
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On a recent trip to Japan, I investigated whether the issues English-language Pokemon TCG collectors were facing were prevalent in Japan.
As with any deal, it is subject to regulatory approval.
“From the beginning, Excell Brands has been built on trust, long-term relationships, and commitment to excellence,” Stan Seidler, Founder and Chairman of Excell Brands, said in the same press release. “This next chapter allows us to preserve those values while positioning the business for the future.”
The deal comes at a time when Pokemon’s trading card game (TCG) has arguably never been more popular. It should, ideally, help alleviate some of the stock concerns that have plagued the hobby, one that continues to expand its reach throughout the globe.
Collecting Cards Has Never Been More Difficult
For those who haven’t kept up with Pokemon in a while, then it’s worth noting that being part of the hobby has never been more difficult. Scalpers have a heavy hand in ensuring that most product ends up out of the hands of actual collectors, with resale markets being flooded with new releases regularly.
TheGamer’s Sam Woods has chronicled much of this turmoil, including reports on disastrous releases and the impact of scalpers on the hobby. As a whole, Pokemon is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, a celebration that kicked off in early January and recently included a Super Bowl ad.
- Release Date
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1997 – 2023
- Network
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TV Tokyo, TV Osaka, TV Aichi, TVh, TVQ, TSC
- Directors
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Shigeru Omachi, Koji Ogawa, Fumihiro Ueno, Hideki Hiroshima, Maki Kodaira, Makoto Ooga, Ayumi Moriyama, Keitaro Motonaga, Shigeru Ueda, Fumihiro Yoshimura, Minoru Ohara, Yoshitaka Makino, Kiyoshi Egami, Makoto Sokuza, Bjarne Heuser, Naoki Murata, Kenichi Nishida, Tomoe Makino, Masahiko Watanabe, Hiroaki Takagi, Tazumi Mukaiyama, Ryohei Horiuchi, Yoshihiro Oda, Hiromichi Matano
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Rica Matsumoto
Satoshi (voice)
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Ikue Otani
Pikachu (voice)
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The vibes are immaculate.
