Eighty game and comics stores had to cancel Pokemon card events this weekend due to a massive theft in the United Kingdom.
Videos by ComicBook.com
This weekend was supposed to mark the start of pre-release events for the upcoming “Ultra Prism” expansion of the Pokemon Trading Card Game. Stores around the United States and Europe will host mini-tournaments that give players an opportunity to try and take home cards from the new expansion a few weeks before their official release.
However, stores in the United Kingdom won’t get that opportunity, as the nation’s entire stock of pre-release Pokemon cards was stolen in transit. Asmodee UK, the distributor of Pokemon cards in the United Kingdom, informed fans and stores of the theft earlier this morning. According to PokeBeach (a fansite specializing in Pokemon TCG), Asmodee tried to get additional stock in before this weekend, but was unable to due to poor weather conditions in the United States.
It’s unclear how much stock was stolen, but registration for the events typically cost $30 in the United States. Players get a special pre-release deck containing trainer cards and a few set Pokemon cards and then supplement them with cards pulled from four packs of Pokemon cards including in the pre-release set. Some stores also give additional packs of cards away to the winners of events.
If each store affected by the theft had at least 15 players set to attend one of the pre-release events, the thieves probably made out with $36,000 or more in merchandise.
The full list of stores affected by the theft are as follows:
8Bit Planet
A Fistful of Dice
Acme Games
Angry Cherry
Antics Hobby Store
Athena Games
Bag of holding
BattleQuest Games
Bazbo Comics Truro
Beanie Games
Bus Stop Toy Shop
Calamity Comics
Cataclysm Games
Chaos Cards Tabletop Gaming Centre
Chase Games
Chimera Leisure Ltd
Comicrazy
Comics, Games & Coffee
Common Ground Games
Critical Hit Games Cafe
Dark Matter Cafe
Daydream Nation
Den 11
eclectic games
Excelsior games
Famous Collectibles
Fan Boy Three
Firestorm Games Cardiff
Firestorm Games Newport
Galleon Games
Game HQ ltd
Gamers World
Games hub
Geek Retreat
Geeks Headquarters
Golden Sun TCG
GTG Games
Harlequins Blackpool
Heroes (formerly Cheap Thrills)
Highlander Games`
Ibuywargames Ltd
IQ Games Centre
Just Games
Kabooom Entertainment GmbH
KD Games
Kids Stuff Toys
Mad for Miniatures
Magic Madhouse EXP
Mana Gaming
ManaFlux Gaming
Marquee Models
Nerd World
Netherworld
Netherworld Chester
Patriot Games
Patriot Games: Leeds
Portal Games & Entertainment
Premier Express, 2 Coles Lane
Proud Lion
Questing Knight Games
Rewind Collectables
Robins Hobby Cafe
Shadow Games Ltd
Shogun Games/GamesLoft
Skyward Fire Games
Sneak Attack Games
Soda
Stans games
The Gamers’ Emporium
The Games Pit
The Games Shop
The Grove, Goodies, and Geekery
The Hobbit Hole
Toys & Games of Worcester
Travelling Man (Leeds)
Vault 14
Warboar Games
Wargames Workshop MK
Waterstones, University of Hull
Weekend Warlords
