Exclusive Pokemon GO Trading Cards to Release in China

June 11, 2024
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The full set list has been revealed for China’s next compilation set, CS5 Brave Stars, which will release on June 18th. China’s set features 14 cards from 2022’s Pokemon GO with new artwork that hasn’t released anywhere else in the world.

Exclusive Pokemon GO Trading Cards to Release in China

Tthere’s no official explanation for why the cards are using new artwork. It could be due to a licensing issue. Pokemon GO is banned in China. Since the original Pokemon GO cards shared a copyright with Niantic, Creatures may have needed to commission new artwork under their normal licensing arrangements to dodge ties to Niantic.

This is one of the few times a country outside of Japan is getting new cards or artwork. (Some recent examples include England’s Futsal promos or the anachronism promos for Celebrations, like Dark Sylveon V.)