Pokemon has made an announcement in Singapore concerning Play! Pokemon for the Summer.
An announcement was made in Singapore regarding Pokemon VGC and TCG events in Asia. It has been announced that the Asia region will be conducting their own events outside of Play! Pokemon program. Instead they will be operated by The Pokémon Company International.
Furthermore, these events will be held in card shops with plans to conduct large tournaments for the TCG and VGC. Some of these events will help players qualify for the 2021 Pokemon World Championships. Lastly, they have assured players that they will continue to monitor the COVID-19 situation and act in the safety of players.
It is unsure what this announcement could mean. Play! Pokemon is the competitive program that manages TCG and VGC events outside of Japan. Official competitive Pokemon events are handle differently in Japan and Play! Pokemon isn’t involved. Instead, they have their own system to determine which players will qualify for Worlds.
There is no word as in why this is happening in the Asia region. It is also unknown if this will continue after the conclusion of the 2020-2021 season. Perhaps it has something to do with spread of COVID-19 in the region compare to other parts of the world. Maybe it is deemed safe to hold gatherings. It is unsure. Though, it was recently announced that the majority of the Asia region was not included in the Oceanic region for the Players Cup qualifiers. Perhaps this play to have The Pokémon Company International operated events in the Asia region was already in motion at the announcement of the Players Cup.
Either way, this is an interesting development for those in the Asia region. Best of luck to these players when events are underway.
Source: Pokemon in Singapore
