'Most anticipated set for sure': Leeds' Pokémon fans prepare for huge 30th anniversary release

Pokémon, and specifically the trading card game attached to the Japanese monsters, is enjoying a huge resurgence.

On Wednesday, thousands of fans, collectors and enthusiasts will flock to their nearest game store as the Japanese brand marks 30 years with an exclusive anniversary range of cards.

But unlike back in 1996, when Pikachu first appeared on our televisions, those queuing up outside stores in the early hours will mostly be fully grown adults.

The anniversary packs contain old, original designs from the first wave of cards but with an added 30th anniversary mark, with some cards expected to hit the market for more than £1,000 in the coming days.

Khalid Morton, manager of Travelling Man on Central Road, said he expects the new cards to sell out in a matter of hours.

"There's a fair amount, so I'd expect they’ll sell out in the first couple of hours," he told the YEP.

"We're expecting a lineup to start very early in the morning, if not tonight. There have already been pictures circulating of people outside major retailers already today."

The Pokémon card craze has attracted a range of people - from competitive players to collectors and traders.

“So we host a lot of people that play the game competitively, casually, all that sort of stuff, and so the cards are useful for them moving forward to getting championship points to go into world championships and regional championships and stuff like that," said Khalid.

And then there are the collectors, who will be extra attracted to the “really pretty” anniversary set.

“You've got those that have been collecting them for many years, so the nostalgia aspect of it kicks in for them,” he said.

“But it's also the resellability of them also comes into play. Currently, the secondary market for these is quite high."

Spencer Cambridge from Leeds runs a successful online business where he collects and trades Pokémon cards.

For him, tomorrow’s release is one of the most significant in the game’s 30-year history.

"It's definitely the most anticipated [set] for sure,” he said. “People have been waiting for this for months and months and months."

"What makes it a particularly good release is, normally when sets come out, they'll come out in Japan, and then a couple of months later we'll get them.

“However, for this set it's a worldwide release, so everybody in the whole world, no matter where you are, gets the set on the same day."

There is also a big focus on the franchise’s most recognisable character, Pikachu.

“With it being the 30th, there are 30 different Pikachus throughout the set to collect as well," said Spencer.

So what’s driving this new craze? According to Spencer, it’s generational.

“Parents that were getting these cards and opening these cards have now got into my age, into their 30s. They've got kids that are also interested in it, and it's reignited their love for it," he said.

"You've got a lot of people from my era starting to collect them, but then because you've got an influx into the hobby, it's become hard to get. It pushed the prices up, and then it's attracted all your investor bros and all your scalpers.

"People like myself would want it. We've got money now, whereas we didn't when we were kids. So people just buy it for a premium now."

At Travelling Man, there will be no official event beyond the doors opening at 10am - just a simple product release. The shop has been sold out of Pokémon stock since the last set launched, and Khalid expects tomorrow to be no different.

“Normally with our main sets, they sell out on the day,” he said. “We keep enough back for our events, but outside of that, on the day of release it sells out.”