Pokemon TCG Earned Record $857 Million in Japan for 2023, More Than Yu-Gi-Oh, Magic, and Others Combined!

The Pokemon TCG was the #1 selling card game in Japan from April 2023 to March 2024, earning a record $857 million in revenue. This is as much as the next eight trading card games combined, including Yu-Gi-Oh!, Magic the Gathering, One Piece, and more.

The Pokemon TCG also grew its revenue by 37% between 2022 and 2023. Meanwhile Yu-Gi-Oh! saw only 3% growth while Magic the Gathering was down 6%. One Piece‘s revenue tripled (due to an increase in production), but its total revenue only accounted for 20% of Pokemon’s.

These numbers are according to a private report published by Media Create, a Japanese company that tracks and analyzes data for Japan’s gaming market. We were able to obtain a copy of the report, which I’ve translated below. Note that the Japanese toy industry starts their fiscal year in April.

Pokemon publishes its own annual report in May, so we should see 2023’s numbers next month — accounting for the TCG’s worldwide sales. Based on the increased revenue in Japan, Pokemon is going to shatter its own records yet again.

Note that “revenue” is the money Pokemon earned by selling its products. It’s not the same as “profit,” or how much money goes into Pikachu’s bank account after accounting for expenses. Only Pokemon knows that number.