Pokemon Responds to Pokemon TCG Factory Theft Scandal

The Pokemon Company International has responded to a scandal rocking its Pokemon Trading Card Game community and says that the "integrity" of its products were not impacted as a result of cards allegedly taken from a printing facility back in 2021. Earlier this week, ComicBook.com reported on the alleged theft of thousands of Secret Rare cards from the Evolving Skies and Fusion Strikes set from a printing facility, which allegedly occurred back in 2021. A person linked to the facility attempted to sell the cards to a trading card store in Texas, leading to The Pokemon Company working with the card store to obtain the stock. Many wondered whether the alleged theft impacted the pull rates of the Secret Rare cards, especially as the cards impacted had some of the highest secondary market prices (which is an indicator of both demand and market scarcity) of any card printed over the past three years. 

In a statement provided to ComicBook.com, The Pokemon Company did not confirm that a theft took place, but stated that they had no indication that the integrity of any products were impacted by any "confirmed or unconfirmed theft." The full statement from The Pokemon Company International can be found below: 

"We take the protection of our IP and associated products very seriously. This matter remains under investigation and we cannot comment on details at this time. However, we can confirm that Sword & Shield ­booster packs and products were shipped to retail as intended and we have no indication that the integrity of the products were impacted by any confirmed or unconfirmed theft. Furthermore, we continue to significantly invest in both the production and security of our TCG business. We value the faith our fans put in us and our products, and these investments are intended to help us continue to maintain their trust."