Do you think there will be a boom in 20 years for sun and moon cards for the kids that got into the game these last couple years, just like WOTC cards for us Mellinials ??
I think it would be fun to see another big era of Pokémon collectors! 
Not really.
I think this is the peak for Pokemon’s mainstream popularity unless they make better games and put those games on third party platforms.
I don’t think Pokemon will disappear but it’s popularity is bolstered by an adult fanbase rather than children in 2018.
To really engage young people with the franchise they’re going to need to make better games or make VGC more accessible. I think the one thing which would really help Pokemon above all else would be to put old GB/GBA/DS games on mobile with complete PvP features OR a Pokemon Showdown clone where you can make a team in 5 minutes and battle 6v6 or normal VGC rules.
And for adult collectors to really care about 8th gen or 7th gen product they need to start catering to collectors… which they probably never will.
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You have some good insight; and that’s an interesting point on whether this is the peak of Pokemon’s mainstream popularity or not.
I had a look at some statistics and they validate your claim, it seems that approx 15% of Sun & Moon players are under 17, whereas approx 50% of players are in their 20’s, Pokemon really has an ageing fanbase and that can assuredly be attributed to the Poke-Mania many of us grew up with that really fostered such intense nostalgia.
In addition the sales figures for Sun and Moon are lower than X and Y and of course significantly lower than Red and Blue, but in general they’re bolstered by the success of various spin-off games, Pokemon Go and a seemingly never ending print run of Sun and Moon TCG sets.
I guess, fundamentally, in the internet era where everyone is fighting for clout and attention its hard for any one franchise to stand out, the kids are all playing Fornite now but it’ll be replaced something else before long.
In conclusion, I think Pokemon will plateau and continue to generate revenue on recognition alone; and I wholeheartedly agree that Nintendo/Gamefreak will need to step the fuck up and make something on a completely different level to grab the younger generations attention if they’re gonna continue to peak.
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If the metric for popularity is based on who is playing the game, then majority of the people here are not included.
Pokemon’s wheelhouse has always been collecting. The phrase is “gotta catch em all”. Their target demographic are people buying packs. Playability can be an aspect, but Pokemon is rooted in sentimentality. I was a kid who simply bought a couple packs. There was no metric to indicate my future growth. Also there are collectors here 10-15 years younger than me. They grew up in different generations, but experienced the same cycle.
Basically the only way to get an impression for the current generation is spending time with the current generation. Are kids still excited about Pokémon, yes. Do they still collect the cards and get them taken away in school, yes. Is this the same process as all other previous generations, yes.
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If the path continues the same, by then there will be 5,000 GX/EX/FX/or any other combination they can think of. By then the chances of these cards popping out and becoming collectible, especially since there are so many of them out there as of right now, is significantly low.
There are so many other sets with lower print numbers, better artwork in my opinion, or just all around better releases that have not had their boom yet. With each explosive, heavy secret rare set that gets released, that boom for all the current items just gets pushed years and years back.
How many people can honestly say they know a single holo out of Legends Awakened, Undaunted, or even Sandstorm for example. Sun and Moon is going to easily just collapse on itself as there just is to much to go after, and way to much product out there to do it. My two sad cents.
Maybe only for the big hyper rare cards; Charizard GX, Rayquaza GX, Gold Solgaleo, Gold Lunala etc. I feel there is far too many hyper rates for it to be a collectable staple.
I don’t find low print numbers to be the basis of collectability. For me, it’s the nostalgia of the original 151. For super serious collectors, rarity could be the driving factor. But I think the average Pokémon collector has their binder collection and they go after the cards they connect with.
So I was thinking that with the resurgence of Pokémon the last couple years, you would have a whole new batch of adult collectors in 20 years when the new kids grow up.
Maybe the prices don’t explode like WOTC do to higher availability, but there could still be a lot of fans going after the cards they connect with from their childhood
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Things that have value is due to either their purpose, their supply-vs-demand, or someone having an attachment to said item. Really it all boils down to those 3 factors. There have been plenty of cards, such as the illustrator contests, the snap cards, or other public developed artwork items that due to their crazy low populations, and they carry very high price tags. These are also the items that have great emotional attachment as people can relate to them, or the fact that people love/hate them.
Sun and Moon is churning cards at a rate that how can you actually become attached to them or have the ability to collect and enjoy them all? When I posted about the Diamond and Pearl sets, I was introducing the idea that there are very strong cards in there, great artwork, but due to the amount of other items, they get pushed to the back. Between the left side having the strong older sets, and the right side having the playable, easy to obtain cards, the trench in the middle is just full of those sets that are in between. As time goes by and more and more sets become stagnant and the same old, cards just keep falling in the trench and never reaching the other side. How does something make it to the ‘collectible side’? By obtaining one of the factors I eluded to above. There are definitely cards within these sets that have great value, being the rainbow zard for instance. But having all these secret rares, how could one even keep up? Once they are out of playable form, the few that have that trait, what is going to make them pop out and grow? Unfortunately, these sets are just going to continue being opened, and the only thing I see gaining ground is sealed product. For example, why is emerging powers booster boxes going up pennies per day? Sealed product is always king.
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I do think there will be collectors 20 years from now going after these cards, but likely not quite a boom as wotc has. I agree with most of the statements above, however, I’d like to add the aspect of playability into this mix.
The current era of Pokemon cards are all playable in major tournaments. The print numbers are through the roof yes, but you have to remember that people are still playing with cards from black and white. That’s the last 6 years worth. Imagine if you could use cards from wotc in tournaments (other than basic energy) the prices would be up even more. For those who don’t know, the larger Pokemon Regionals have gotten up into the thousands for players recently, with numbers trending upwards after each one. That’s just at tournaments too. There’s thousands of people using the cards for their “intended” purpose. Magic the gathering expresses this fairly well. They have collectors and players both desiring the older cards for these reasons. I think it’s pretty under the radar, but in 20 years, imagine if Regionals have thousands of players each, using cards perhaps even older than black and white. Some of the most collectible cards are from a time when very few people played the tcg (ex era) and those are some of the most popular cards today. I have a friend that owns nearly 100 retro decks, using all authentic card to make them functional decks of years past. That includes using gold stars and exs from the time. In 20 years, the players from now will remember their favorite cards, whether it be from a deck or as a cool collectible, and they will desire it enough to purchase it again. Whichever the case, there will be much less mint product because of the current tournament structure for newer cards. Whether or not the print numbers are so vast as to affect the future prices in this way, remains to be seen.
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A little off topic - but a nice little story on how big pokemon is
My girlfriend thought I was crazy for getting into Pokemon cards - I told her, almost everyday (a little hyperbolic, but you get the point), you’ll hear something about pokemon - even being as far away from pokemon as possible, she ended up agreeing with me
From rap lyrics “Yellow Ferrari like Pikachu” - yes indeed / drake , to athletes comparing themselves to charizard (alvin kamara), to an artist buying a diamond gengar chain (Killy, "To most people this is just a Pokémon, but it was a big part of my childhood. It made me into the person that everyone loves,” said Killy. “Plus it looks so f–king nice.”), to going to a wedding and seeing kids show each other their collections… to news about the new games, pickahu pop, buzzfeed videos, pokemon go… pokemon is still everywhere even outside of this hardcore community
Even at the National Sports Card Convention - I went in for sports, its alllll sports… I pulled out my cards to one vendor who had interest in them and a pool of people surrounded us, asking about pokemon cards / wanting to learn about them / trying to understand them … pokemon is transcending
I had 50 something year olds, telling me “poke mans” look cool, they’d invest if they knew more about it etc etc.
Even at an event where sports cards is the centre of the universe, pokemon had interest - and that says something
A little off topic from this thread - but I think helps support how big pokemon really is
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This is exactly what I was thinking. Regardless of the unlimited print, a new generation of “once kids” are now adults and it will still bring back nostalgia for them. Most of the collector’s are adults, even with the new sets. Pokemon is not as expensive as other hobby’s but it still is costly for children or parents/grandparents. The only thing I see more children on in the hobby is watching people open packs.
Side note: This is what I saw that just shows you where the hobby is going: 
Lol, I love when I hear older people then myself say, “Pokemans” hahahaha
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Well lets look at the b&w era, already selling for more than people would have assumed it would at this point in time. Hyper rares i think will do ok. As for people talking about pokemons and its relevance, isnt it the highest grossing franchise even beating star wars.
The kids i see around me live and breathe poke.on, from the shkw, to pogo, to the game and to tcg. The fames are heading in the righr trajectory. I know many adults and teens buying a switch for the new game and i know of even more who will want to play pokemon rpg next year.
I haven’t seen a comment mentioning how the anime is currently the best it’s been in years.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=HG7IVmxmyyg
Will sun and moon be collectable in my opinion? Yes just not to the extent of anything prior to xy. The difference in the old and new is collectors like us are grading modern cards, something we didn’t do as kids. The amount of mint copies of modern product is always going to be easily accessible. Personally I only buy secret rares (mostly because I like them) or exclusive “limited” cards like the staff charizard, UK generations anniversary stamp pikachu exc…
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Not at all. Kids these days are obsessed with Fortnite and YouTubers…
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At Target and Wal-Mart, there are always kids in the Pokemon card aisle and I’m always the awkward adult there. I could see in 20 years time them getting nostalgic and buying packs and graded cards.
They will never get close the WOTC or EX series in terms of value, but I believe there will be a market for them. Probably not the holos or most EX/GX cards, but perhaps the Rainbow Rares and Full Art Trainers. Heck, I love both of those categories now and actively collect them. Maybe even sealed product to a lesser extent. In 20 years I might get nostalgic and want to buy some Burning Shadows or Shining Legends packs for a premium.
I think this will be the case even if Pokemon decided to close down tomorrow. The cards will still be around for people to collect long after the Pokemon company dissolves.
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I went to a pre release tournament the other week, and there were a lot of people. We played the tourney and then traded cards after. It was a blast. I highly recommend going to the pre release events if you haven’t been before.
They probably won’t be selling for that much of a premium.
Look at Jungle and Fossil, it took 19 years for them to go from $3 to $30 with smaller print runs than we have today.
Late XY and SM product is more available than any other generation right now.
Low print runs will directly influence value. In SM there is no inaccessible card, no tough grade, no real chase. Prices won’t collapse but there’s not much room for growth.
In 20 years 1st PSA 10 Zard will be pushing the $300,000+ range but something like PSA 10 hyper rare Zard will probably have the population of 3000+ and only be worth $800-$1k.
While Pokemon is popular among kids it’s not the global phenomenon (among children) it was in 1999-2001. It doesn’t engage kids the same way, Fortnite is doing a much better job.
It needs to have that engagement with a younger audience. The interesting thing is in comparison to all other tcgs it’s the only game where there’s a lot of new blood buying the product but that has to compete with iOS, android, PC, Youtube, etc. Pokemon didn’t have this competition in 2000.
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^^^^^^^^^