As many predicted, Pokemon has been forced to take action regarding its new Van Gogh collaboration. This month marked the big crossover’s debut, and it began with The Pokemon Company teaming with The Vincent Van Gogh Museum in the Netherlands. Shortly after beginning, videos and photos of the launch went viral as scalpers went feral for the event’s exclusive merchandise. So to prevent such a mob from happening again, well – Pokemon is removing its Van Gogh cards from the museum.
Videos by ComicBook.com
Recently, the Van Gogh Museum posted a notice on its website regarding the Pokemon event. It was there fans learned the museum is no longer going to carry the promo Van Gogh Pikachu card, and this is due to safety concerns on the museum’s part.
“The Van Gogh Museum and The Pokémon Company International take the safety and security of visitors and staff very seriously. Recently, a small group of individuals has created an undesirable situation that has led us to take the difficult decision to remove the Pikachu with Grey Felt Hat promo card from the museum. In this way, visitors will be able to experience this special collection of Pokémon paintings and the rest of the museum in a safe and enjoyable manner,” the museum shared.
As you can imagine, the update was bound to happen given what happened when the Pokemon x Van Gogh collaboration launched. From the start, the much-anticipated collaboration has been a nightmare. Its in-person debut was marred by mobbing scalpers, and its online launch did not fair any better. The Pokemon Company shared placeholder URLs for its Van Gogh merchandise before it went live online, so bots were able to preload purchases. As such, the collaboration’s online stock sold out instantly which left fans upset.
However, the event hasn’t been all bad news. The Pokemon Company confirmed it will have a new way to distribution its Van Gogh Pikachu promo card soon. Fans who purchase any TCG product from the Pokemon Center shortly will get the promo card for free. So if you don’t want to pay insane secondhand prices for Van Gogh Pikachu, this new route will help you out.
What do you make of this latest Pokemon debacle? Let us know what you think in the comments below as well as on Twitter and Instagram. You can also hit me up @MeganPetersCB to share your take!
