McDonald’s has announced fresh restrictions aimed at combating scalpers, as it launches the next wave of its enormously popular Pokémon promotion in Japan.
Last weekend, the fast food chain was swamped by scalpers who bought up dozens of Happy Meals just for the exclusive Pokémon cards within them. Photos and videos posted to social media by outraged fans highlighted arguments among patrons over the scalping, and showed examples of huge food wastage, with the Happy Meals dumped by the side of the road or left in the restaurant uneaten.
The incident meant McDonald’s ran out of its cards within hours of its three-day promotion going live, forcing the burger brand to apologise to Pokémon fans left empty-handed. And now, McDonald’s has gone further — with new rules regarding the availability of Pokémon merchandise in Happy Meals applied from today.
“We deeply apologize to our customers who regularly use McDonald’s restaurants, as well as to our store staff and many others for any inconvenience caused by the Happy Set Pokémon Card Campaign,” McDonald’s wrote in a new statement released this morning.
“We will continue to release the Pokémon Happy Meals, which include five different toys, as scheduled from Friday, August 15. However, in light of the current situation, we will be implementing the following purchase restrictions for three days until Sunday, August 17th.”
These restrictions include a maximum purchase of three Happy Meals per group (this was previously higher, and per person). “If you order four or more,” McDonald’s now says, “we will refuse your purchase and cancel the order.”
“Furthermore, during this period, there may be restrictions on use at some stores and during certain hours,” the chain continued. “We will not allow purchases from customers who do not follow the above rules and etiquette.”
The biggest difference with the coming weekend’s promotion, however, is that it no longer features Pokémon cards at all — just Pokémon toys.
On scalping specifically, McDonald’s said it “does not tolerate the purchase of Happy Meals for the purpose of resale, or the abandonment or disposal of food,” in a direct response to the activities of some customers last weekend. However, it’s unclear how the chain can and will be able to enforce this. Still, what’s obvious is the brand has taken note of the social media outrage — and the disappointment among young Pokémon fans and families at not being able to get cards.
“We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience caused to customers who look forward to dining with their children, grandchildren, or friends due to these purchase restrictions,” McDonald’s concluded. “We will continue to review and improve these sales methods and measures, listening to the opinions of our customers and store staff.”
In other Pokémon news, last week The Pokémon Company replaced the art for its Lugia and Ho-Oh cards which had fallen foul to claims they included fan designs.
Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at [email protected] or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
