Pokemon TCG Pocket Planning Changes After Huge Loss of Players and Revenue

DeNA is planning another round of measures for Pokemon Trading Card Game Pocket as a way to combat a major decline in engagement and revenue. The developer confirmed as much in a recent financial report, which offers one of the clearest signs yet that Pokemon TCG Pocket continues to lose momentum.

Jointly developed by Creatures Inc. and DeNA, the latest digital version of the hit trading card game launched at the tail end of October 2024, simultaneously releasing for Android and iOS devices. The free-to-play title was an immediate hit, with third-party estimates indicating Pokemon TCG Pocket made history with $1.9 million in revenue in the first 24 hours, making it history’s third-largest mobile game launch at the time. The Pokemon Company officially confirmed that the game crossed 10 million downloads on November 1, 2024, two days into its launch. That figure grew to 200 million downloads by May 2026.

DeNA Blames Q1 FY2026 Revenue Decline on Pokemon TCG Pocket

In the operating briefing accompanying DeNA’s August 5 Q1 FY2026 financial results covering the three-month period ending June 2026, the company said Pokemon TCG Pocket averaged approximately 23 million monthly active users during the quarter. Overall “Game Business” revenue fell 33.2% year-over-year to ¥12.12 billion (~$76.5 million), while segment profit dropped 62% to ¥3.826 billion (~$24.1 million). DeNA does not disclose Pokemon TCG Pocket‘s revenue as a standalone figure, although it has now identified the game as the primary reason behind both its annual and sequential declines. Seasonality was also cited as a contributing factor in the company’s sequential decline.

Pokemon TCG Pocket’s Monthly Active Users Are Down About 41% Year-Over-Year

The longer-term player decline is much steeper than the latest quarter-to-quarter change suggests. When DeNA first outlined a major Pokemon TCG Pocket retention push in August 2025, the game was averaging approximately 39 million monthly active users in Q1 FY2025. The latest figure is 16 million lower, representing a decline of roughly 41%. By comparison, average MAU stood at about 24 million in the immediately preceding quarter, making the sequential decline only around 4%. DeNA said the user base had not changed materially quarter-over-quarter. The Japanese mobile gaming giant also noted that the newly reported decline did not come out of the blue, labeling its overall Q1 FY2026 report as in line with prior expectations.

How DeNA Is Trying to Regain Pokemon TCG Pocket Momentum

DeNA says it is responding to the current predicament with “multi-layered” initiatives, including new Pokemon TCG Pocket events and promotions specifically geared toward increasing login frequency, retention, and overall player activity. Some of those efforts may seek to capitalize on one metric that has moved in the opposite direction since mid-2025: international players accounted for nearly 70% of the game’s virtual currency consumption from April through June 2026, up from about 60% a year earlier. The figures suggest the game’s spending mix has shifted further outside Japan even as its overall active audience has declined.

For now, DeNA has not tied the new Pokemon TCG Pocket retention measures to a named feature overhaul or a specific release window. However, its latest report implies the upcoming initiatives will be implemented during the ongoing fiscal year, which ends in March 2027.

Systems

Released

October 30, 2024

Developer(s)

DeNA, Creatures Inc.

Multiplayer

Online Multiplayer

Cross-Platform Play

Yes

Source: UniteVids / X