10 Billion Pokémon Cards Were Printed Last Year - and It Still Wasn't Enough to Stop Shortages and Scalping
IGN • • technology
Key Points:
- The Pokémon Company produced over 10 billion Pokémon trading cards last year, contributing to a total of 85 billion cards manufactured to date.
- Despite the massive production volume, Pokémon cards remain difficult to find due to supply issues, scalping, in-store conflicts, and frequent sell-outs.
- The high demand for rare Pokémon cards has led to numerous thefts, with multiple break-ins at trading card stores reported across the U.S. in recent months.
- Pokémon video game shipments have surpassed 515 million units overall, including 16 million shipped last year, with strong sales for new and existing titles like Pokémon Pokopia and Pokémon Legends: Z-A.
- Recent incidents highlight the intense demand for Pokémon cards, including a Florida man arrested for a $12,000 card theft involving a chainsaw and other cases of desperate fans committing crimes to obtain cards.