$7.4 Million Pokémon Card NFT Transactions, Gacha Controversy Expands

In the first week of May 2026, the weekly sales of the Pokémon TCG-linked market were recorded at approximately $7.4 million. Pokémon announced the release of the 30th Anniversary expansion pack, '30th Celebration,' on September 16, 2026. On-chain Pokémon card sales increased by 337% compared to the previous year, with platform shares being 46% for Courtyard, 27% for Collector Crypt, and 26% for Phygitals. Tokenized Pokémon cards are structured to be traded after appraisal and storage of physical cards, allowing users to buy and sell on-chain. Courtyard reported that its monthly total transaction volume increased from $50,000 to $50 million. Collector Crypt surpassed a cumulative trading volume of $1 billion, with over 22,000 users opening 4.5 million packs. On-chain gacha spending reached a record high of $324.6 million, with Collector Crypt accounting for over $205 million. The overall NFT market is not recovering at the same pace, and the tokenization of Pokémon cards is seen as a case that has provided liquidity to physical collectibles. While gacha packs have increased trading accessibility, the controversy surrounding probability-based products is also growing. For Korean investors and collectors, the transparency of the storage entity and the conditions for physical redemption will be key factors in determining trust.

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