The Pokémon Company announced a new step to address scalping and other inappropriate activity around its trading card game by deploying facial recognition at five temporary Pokémon Card Stores in Japan opening later this month.
The move, announced on the official Japanese Pokémon Card Game website, supplements other verification measures the company has considered, including National ID checks.
According to the company notice, the facial recognition system will be used when customers obtain numbered entry tickets for the temporary stores.
The site specifies that customers of elementary school age and older must register in the system to receive an entry ticket.
The Pokémon Company also said staff will intervene if individuals try to re-enter the same store multiple times.
In its announcement the company framed the technology as a security and compliance tool.
Rewriting the official phrasing in journalistic terms: The Pokémon Company stated the facial recognition system is intended to ensure a safe shopping environment, deter criminal activity, and enforce proper entry and purchase rules at the temporary stores.
This measure arrives amid growing public concern about scalping and resale of collectible trading cards in Japan.
Earlier this month, media reports noted the Japanese government was taking an interest in problematic activities surrounding trading card markets, and The Pokémon Company has indicated National ID verification as another possible countermeasure in recent communications.
The Pokémon franchise spans physical and digital markets: the Pokémon Trading Card Game remains a major physical product line even as flagship video games developed primarily by Game Freak and published by The Pokémon Company and Nintendo continue to appear on platforms such as Nintendo Switch.
Nintendo often communicates game updates through Nintendo Direct presentations and distributes digital titles and DLC via the Nintendo eShop, but the TCG requires distinct retail and security approaches.
For collectors and players in Japan, the facial recognition rollout will be notable both for its immediate impact on access to the temporary stores and for its place in a broader set of steps aimed at curbing scalping.
The Pokémon Company’s published guidance on the stores is the primary source for the measures described.
The move, announced on the official Japanese Pokémon Card Game website, supplements other verification measures the company has considered, including National ID checks.
According to the company notice, the facial recognition system will be used when customers obtain numbered entry tickets for the temporary stores.
The site specifies that customers of elementary school age and older must register in the system to receive an entry ticket.
The Pokémon Company also said staff will intervene if individuals try to re-enter the same store multiple times.
In its announcement the company framed the technology as a security and compliance tool.
Rewriting the official phrasing in journalistic terms: The Pokémon Company stated the facial recognition system is intended to ensure a safe shopping environment, deter criminal activity, and enforce proper entry and purchase rules at the temporary stores.
This measure arrives amid growing public concern about scalping and resale of collectible trading cards in Japan.
Earlier this month, media reports noted the Japanese government was taking an interest in problematic activities surrounding trading card markets, and The Pokémon Company has indicated National ID verification as another possible countermeasure in recent communications.
The Pokémon franchise spans physical and digital markets: the Pokémon Trading Card Game remains a major physical product line even as flagship video games developed primarily by Game Freak and published by The Pokémon Company and Nintendo continue to appear on platforms such as Nintendo Switch.
Nintendo often communicates game updates through Nintendo Direct presentations and distributes digital titles and DLC via the Nintendo eShop, but the TCG requires distinct retail and security approaches.
For collectors and players in Japan, the facial recognition rollout will be notable both for its immediate impact on access to the temporary stores and for its place in a broader set of steps aimed at curbing scalping.
The Pokémon Company’s published guidance on the stores is the primary source for the measures described.
