The secrets behind how Pokémon cards are made
The secrets behind how Pokémon cards are made – from clay carvings to gruelling playtests
Creatures Inc pulls back the curtain on the specially commissioned artists and dedicated team of testers behind their trading card game phenomenon.
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This year in the Japanese city of Yokohama the streets were paved with gold – in the form of giant Pokémon cards. From rare holographics on glass palisades to a Pikachu card the size of a small garden to tiled floors covered with common creatures, the city’s interconnected malls paid tribute to the Pokémon trading card game, while the world’s best players went head to head at the Pacifico convention centre at the annual world championships.
Nine billion of these cards have been produced to date, 21% of those since 2021, sold in 76 countries and 13 different languages. They were so popular in 00s playgrounds that they were often banned from schools – a phenomenon that’s repeating itself now, after the cards enjoyed a pandemic boost courtesy of bored kids and nostalgic millennials. YouTuber in July 2021.
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The company that creates them, Creatures Inc, is usually shrouded in secrecy. Sitting in the shadow of Tokyo’s Imperial Palace, the building is everything a Japanophile would hope for. In the lobby, a vast wooden decking overlooks a picturesque field of water lilies, a mass of green tendrils swaying in the wind. Ascending in the lift, it’s not hard to picture a slew of curious creatures scuttling across the flora, living a hidden life under the shadow of the palace. Inside, striking black and white 3D art installations depict a surprisingly Tate Modern-ready take on Pokémon, flanked by stunningly brutalist recreations of Blastoise and Charizard cards, chunks of crystal protruding from thick ceramic edges. The surrounding walls are adorned with empty card shells.
From core concept to final printed designs, each new card set takes a year to develop, their creators explain. “Whenever new game software comes out, the TCG [trading card game] also follows the new Pokémon and their video game mechanics’ logic,” says TCG game director, Atsushi Nagashima. In charge of determining the actual rules of the card game, Nagashima is responsible for ensuring that card battles remain fun and fair.
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