Mimikyu stands in the forest. Image via The Pokémon Company By Hannah Hunt Published Aug 31, 2026, 12:02 AM EDT Hannah has been writing about horror, sci-fi, and all things nerdy since 2021. At Collider , she covers news and conducts interviews, along with contributing features that dive deep into genre storytelling and why it works. If there’s something lurking in the shadows, she’s probably already writing about it if she's not too busy watching a tape from her VHS collection.
on Google Preferred Source Google News Like Like follow Follow followed Followed Listen Thread Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap Pokémon has spent the weekend celebrating its competitive players at the 2026 Pokémon World Championships in San Francisco, but The Pokémon Company saved one of its biggest surprises for last. The closing ceremonies traditionally give fans at least one reason to already start looking toward what comes next, and this year was no exception. It has also been a particularly big year for Pokémon as the franchise celebrates its 30th anniversary. Between new games, animation, merchandise, and the continued expansion of the franchise outside of its traditional releases, there has been no shortage of ways to celebrate. Now, Pokémon is adding something much bigger to that list .
During the closing ceremonies of the 2026 Pokémon World Championships, The Pokémon Company officially announced Pokémon: Wild Card , a brand-new anime feature movie set to arrive in 2027. The surprise announcement was made in front of a packed Chase Center in San Francisco following the conclusion of this year's competitive events.
The first teaser immediately makes it clear that Wild Card is approaching the Pokémon world from a very different angle. Instead of opening with a traditional Pokémon battle, the footage focuses on the Pokémon Trading Card Game , showing cards laid out across the table as two players face off against one another. The announcement also marks Pokémon's long-awaited return to feature-length anime. The franchise's last animated movie, Pokémon the Movie: Secrets of the Jungle , was originally released in Japan in 2020 before making its international debut on Netflix in 2021. That makes Wild Card the first new animated Pokémon feature announced in several years, and its apparent focus on the TCG already separates it from the movies that came before it.
The timing could hardly be more appropriate. The Pokémon TCG has remained one of the pillars of the franchise throughout its 30th anniversary celebrations, and some of the world's best players spent the weekend competing for a World Championship title in San Francisco. The 2026 World Championships brought together competitors across the Pokémon TCG, VGC, Pokémon GO , and Pokémon UNITE , with the finals taking place Sunday at Chase Center. For now, The Pokémon Company is keeping plenty of Wild Card close to its chest. No additional cast or story details were announced alongside the first footage, but the teaser establishes something far more interesting than another traditional journey through the Pokémon world. For the first time on this scale, the act of playing Pokémon cards appears to be part of the adventure itself .
Pokémon: Wild Card will be released in 2027.
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