I've also heard rumors that PTCG is "not profitable" for gaming stores. At least, compared to other games out there. I don't know exactly how "not profitable" PTCG actually is, though. I don't have access to all the financial information that I'd need to make that estimation.
And, I agree with Cyrus on this at least. The Pokemon franchise has been almost completely marketed towards the younger age groups. While I generally don't have a problem with "hook[ing] em while they're young" (Carlin, Dogma), there comes a point where a balance has to be struck between gaining new fans and keeping or regaining old fans. The United States and International (outside Japan) hasn't really recovered from the screw job we received at the end of the WOTC era. There are still plenty of people who played during the Rocket On and Neon eras that are jaded by the entire process and need both an incentive to start playing again as well as the knowledge that, yes, the Pokemon franchise is back and stronger than ever. In fact, we never really left.
The fact that Pokemon has retained about 30% growt over the last 4 US Nationals is a very good thing to see. And now with the move away from Origins to our own venue, I expect that trend to continue. Still, it'd be nice to see more of a focus on all of the aspects of the Pokemon franchise. I call the franchise one of three "Pillars", to borrow a term from Nintendo. The Video Games, the Trading Card Game, and the Anime. Admittedly, the anime is really nothing more than a vehicle for promotion for the younger age groups. While I'd like to see something a little bit more adult-oriented coming out of a television show, I have severe doubts that it'd actually happen. Thus, it's up to the Video Games and the Trading Card Game to hold up for two purposes. First, they must maintain the loyalty of those that have been hooked while young (or not so young). Second, they must find some way of marketing to those that have not been introduced to either.
The Trading Card Game has been remarkably successful at maintaining its audience since PUI took over distribution from WOTC. A spectacular tournament schedule coupled with a staff that actually care about their players (imagine that) has kept people interested in the game. However, it has not (in my opinion) been particularly successful at generating new interest in the brand, or in regaining the interest from old players who quit over the WOTC hassles. The advertisements have been remarkably bland for discerning minds, and I see no reason that people would start playing just because of the rather lackluster advertisements for the game in the area. What I suggest is a focus on the players of the game, rather than a focus on the cards themselves. A series of 30-second mockumentary advertisements following a semicompetitive player would go a long way in regaining the players that a game store would want to have.
The Video Games have been, well, a little bit less successful. A quick search of
VG Chartz, admittedly not the most reliable source in the world but good enough for these purposes, shows that the sales of Pokemon video games has been trending downward since the release of the original RBY games. Yes, DP has generated higher sales than RS games. That I believe is largely attributable to the more recent success of the TCG than to anything that Pokemon has done over the last 6 years. DP are easily the best games in the Pokemon franchise, but that's not saying much. The simple fact is that the RBY series was an evolutionary leap forward for RPGs at the time. No other game had attempted such a massive undertaking into depth of strategy and depth of gameplay. The problem is that the innovations have largely stoppped or reverted since the GS series. The story is stagnant where there is a wealth of depth and opportunity to create something truly unique. The gameplay, though incredibly deep and diverse, is rather unbalanced towards a few creatures, and nobody really pays any attention to the "lower tiers" of the Pokemon universe ("Mommy? What's a Dugtrio?"). DP was a step in the right direction, utilizing a villian who has startling depth of character, reasons behind his actions, and actually succeeds for a moment on the grandest stage of all before being finally defeated. I haven't read the script for Platinum, but from what I've heard, it's a far deeper story and expands a lot more on what exactly the main villian is attempting to accomplish. As far as RPGs are concerned, the story is the center of the action. Look at all of the "best" RPGs in the history of gaming. All of them have had remarkably deep stories for their times, and each has built something from the tale before it, whether it be some form of character development, a bigger twist, a greater emphasis on the world, or whatever. Pokemon hasn't seen that progression. I'd like to see a good storyline in a Pokemon video game, one that will leave players saying, "I want to play that again. There might have been some nuance I missed!" rather than saying, "Let's rush this game so that I can get to the good parts." The former is indicative of a legendary game. The latter is indicative of an obsessive personality more than anything else. Shadows of Almia was actually a pretty decent step in my opinion. Though the story was rather simplistic, there was more than enough character and world generating to make up for that weak story.
There has to be a balance struck between the initial marketing and the continued marketing of a franchise. Right now, I think that Pokemon is stuck in the initial marketing phase, and it needs to better understand how to generate positive thoughts from across the spectrum, rather than just from its target audience. Because if you're only targeting a very specific audience, that audience might at some point decide to just up and leave for something that they perceive to be better for that audience, or that has a wider range. Give Pokemon a wider audience range, and you'll see this franchise grow beyond anything you might have imagined before.
