DeNA rose to the occasion after its mobile game,Pokemon TCG Pocket, was hit with controversy, proving that gamers can indeed forgive major missteps if the apology is handled well. The way the Japanese company resolvedPokemon TCG Pocket’s recent drama offers an important lesson for all game developers.
On July 29, just hours before its official launch,Pokemon TCG Pocket’s A4 set leaked online. At first, the focus was on the upcoming Pokemon EX and new Trainer Cards. But an unexpected controversy soon emerged: a fan claimed that the leaked immersive art of Ho-Oh EX plagiarized their 2021 artwork. While many players doubted the claim’s legitimacy, the evidence appeared solid.
A day after the plagiarism accusation, on July 30,Pokemon TCG Pocketreleased an announcementthat shocked and impressed the community. Surprisingly, the developer confirmed the artwork had been plagiarized, but it also took full responsibility by stating that the card production team had provided incorrect reference materials to the illustrator. In doing so, it took two notable steps: 1) it acknowledged its mistake, and 2) it defended the reputation of the artist under fire.
Pokemon TCG Pocket’s Response to Plagiarism Accusations
“We discovered that the card production team provided incorrect reference materials as official documents to the illustrator commissioned to create these cards,” the announcement read. It also made it clear that the team took the matter seriously and has learned from the incident. Above all, the developer made sure to apologize to both the affected artists and the players for the inconvenience caused.
To many, DeNA’s response could be seen as the perfect apology. It had the three features any heartfelt admission of wrongdoing should include: acknowledgment, acceptance, and amends. Instead of denying the authenticity of the leakedPokemon TCG Pocketcards, the developer acknowledged it. It also didn’t hesitate to take the blame and admit to the oversight. And, more importantly, it promised to make amends by replacing the cards and ensuring similar mistakes won’t happen again.
For comparison, Bungie’s upcomingMarathonfaced a similar controversywhen it was accused of plagiarizing almost the entire portfolio of an independent artist. Unlike DeNA, however, Bungie denied any knowledge of how the stolen assets ended up in official documents, placing the blame on an unidentified former employee. Both games experienced comparable backlash, but their responses led to very different outcomes:Pokemon TCG Pocketquickly regained fan trust with a direct and sincere apology, whileMarathonis still dealing with the fallout. The broader takeaway, many would agree, is that gamers may be willing to forgive even the biggest mistakes, but only when the apology feels authentic, as DeNA’s did.
