Pokemon TCG players furious as Worlds side event gets canceled

Pokemon TCG players are furious as The Pokemon Company revealed the cancelation of the Yokohama Open, the biggest side-event planned for Pokemon World Championships 2023.

To celebrate the end of every competitive season, The Pokemon Company brings top players from around the world to compete in the Pokemon World Championships.

For 2023, that event is taking place in Yokohama, Japan starting on August 11, and Pokemon TCG players in attendance were excited to take part in the Yokohama Open side event to get a kick-start on the 2024 season.

However, The Pokemon Company announced in a tweet that the event has “regretfully” been canceled and fans aren’t exactly happy about it.

Yokohama Open was canceled and players are infuriated

Shared on July 20 on the Play! Pokemon account, the tweet has been viewed over 1.3 million times.

“Regretfully, the decision has been made to cancel the Yokohama Open. Please look forward to participating in fun side events and activities throughout Worlds weekend,” they said.

To make it clear, the 2023 Pokemon World Championships is not canceled, just the Yokohama Open side event.

Regretfully, the decision has been made to cancel the Yokohama Open. Please look forward to participating in fun side events and activities throughout Worlds weekend.

— Play Pokémon (@playpokemon) July 20, 2023

Regardless, trainers have made their thoughts on the last-minute cancelation clear in the replies to the tweet — with many of them frustrated.

“Cmon, at least be honest with us. You guys made this decision with little hesitation because you know that no matter how terribly you treat your fan base, they’ll continue to shell out. You already lied to them once, don’t do it again by claiming to ‘regret’ it,” one user replied.

Another said: “This is serious? I have bought the spectator passes I have been testing decks for months, I have spent a lot of money buying cards, accommodation, and travel.”

“This is like genuinely unacceptable lmao,” a third commented.

Many were looking forward to taking part in the Day 2 event as a way to get a head start on Championship Points to qualify for Worlds 2024, so it’s understandable that players are a bit frustrated with it being canceled three weeks before the event.

For more information on the 2023 Pokemon World Championship, head over to check out our coverage.