Recently, the Pokémon Company announced a significant issue regarding the upcoming Pokémon TCG Pocket expansion, Wisdom of Sea and Sky. It was discovered that some of the artwork used for the cards, featuring Ho-Oh EX (3-Star) and Lugia EX (3-Star), was plagiarized.

In an official statement, the company explained, “It has come to our attention that there was a production issue regarding the illustration of Ho-Oh featured in the immersive card artwork.”

Artist lanjiujiu publicly addressed this incident, sharing their original work alongside the plagiarized pieces, leading to significant discussion around the integrity of the artwork. The company disclosed that the materials necessary for the illustrations provided to Sie Nanahara were incorrect.

To rectify this situation, both cards will be replaced by placeholders while new art is developed. Furthermore, the Pokémon Company is conducting a broader investigation to ensure no other instances of plagiarized content exist within their game.

The Pokémon Company emphasized their commitment to maintaining a high standard of originality in their work, stating, “To all our players who have been looking forward to this expansion, we deeply apologize for any inconvenience caused.”