Pokémon breaks silence following Destined Rivals technical woes

The Pokémon Company has issued a statement on the widespread issues faced by fans attempting to pre-order items from the upcoming Destined Rivals trading card game set.

On Monday, items from the set, which included the much sought-after Elite Trainer Box, went on sale in regions that have a Pokémon Center online store.

However, almost as soon as the items went on sale, fans were met with issues checking out, or with items not appearing for sale at all. This was married with a queing system that many claimed was incorrectly removing them from the queue after waiting for hours.

Now, following the news that some customers who believed they had checked out successfully have had their orders canceled, The Pokémon Company International has spoken out about the issues.

“We are committed to providing a smooth purchasing experience at Pokémon Center and employ technology that helps get products into the hands of fans first and foremost,” The Pokémon Company told VGC.

“Currently, Pokémon Center implements a virtual queue for certain products to help provide a more seamless purchasing process during periods of increased site traffic. We will continue to explore measures that help create the best possible experience for Pokémon Center customers.”

Destined Rivals will be the next major Pokemon Card set released after Journey Together, which is released this Friday. The Journey Together set, which VGC got a chance to look at early, reintroduces Trainer’s Pokemon as a mechanic.

Pokémon TCG players will have the opportunity to use the Destined Rivals cards before launch by attending one of the many Prerelease tournaments held as part of the Play! Pokémon program, taking place beginning May 17, 2025, at participating independent retailers.

The full set will then go on sale at the end of May.