Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game

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Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG new logo.jpg

The Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game (often abbreviated to "TCG") is the part of the Yu-Gi-Oh! card game manufactured by Konami, and is the best-selling card game of all time according to Guinness World Records, with over 22 billion cards sold as of August 2009.[1] The TCG is played worldwide, but mostly in North America, Europe, Latin America and Australia.

The Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG was first published in 2002, with Upper Deck Entertainment acquiring the rights to market the TCG in North America in October 2001 from Konami.[2] In November 2002, Konami of Europe announced that it had acquired the rights to market the TCG in Europe.[3] With the release of the European sets, which were labeled "For Europe", the North American sets began to be labeled "For U.S. & Canada".

In 2004, Upper Deck Entertainment acquired the rights to market the TCG in Europe[4][5], and starting with Invasion of Chaos in March 2004, the labels "For Europe" and "For U.S. & Canada" were discontinued. In May 2004, Upper Deck Entertainment removed the regional restriction of cards, and all English cards became legal for both North America and Europe.[6]

The agreement between Upper Deck Entertainment and Konami was due to expire in 2010.[citation needed] Konami issued a press release on December 11, 2008, stating that it was retaking full control of all aspects of the TCG,[7] including:

  • Distribution
  • Customer Service
  • Sales
  • Gameplay
  • Organized Play

Upper Deck Entertainment then responded by issuing a lawsuit against Konami Digital Entertainment for USD$75,001,000,[8] citing loss of earnings and breach of contract, as Konami Digital Entertainment cut ties between itself and Upper Deck Entertainment more than a year prior to to the legal conclusion of their contract. On December 27, 2008, Konami was denied the temporary selling and shipping ban that would prevent Upper Deck from marketing, selling, distributing and providing game support for the TCG. The reason Konami was successful in terminating the agreement with Upper Deck Entertainment was because Konami accused and proved in court that Upper Deck was producing unsanctioned cards - some employees had taken some printing plates to a different printer.[citation needed]

The TCG is printed in English (EN), French (FR), German (DE), Italian (IT), Portuguese (PT) and Spanish (SP). Portuguese printings had been halted for a few years after the release of Cybernetic Revolution and before the release of Cosmo Blazer. TCG cards are tournament-legal in any country where the game is played, outside of Asia. Cards from the Official Card Game (OCG), are not tournament-legal in TCG territories, even if a player attempting to use one has a translation on-hand, or the card has an officially-released TCG counterpart.

Tournaments are held each year that give out prizes which are usually rare cards or exclusive game mats. Players first start out in the Regionals and advance their way to the Championships. Shonen Jump used to host their own tournament known as the Shonen Jump Championship. There are tournaments in the OCG as well as the TCG.

Upper Deck no longer has any connection with the Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG, with Konami continuing tournaments.

Names[edit]

Language Name Translation Language or Region ID
English Yu-Gi-Oh! TRADING CARD GAME EN (formerly omitted in North America, E in Europe, and A in Oceania)
French Yu-Gi-Oh! JEU DE CARTES À JOUER Yu-Gi-Oh! Playing Card Game FR (formerly F, and C in Canada alone)
German Yu-Gi-Oh! TRADING CARD GAME DE (formerly G)
Italian Yu-Gi-Oh! GIOCO DI CARTE COLLEZIONABILI Yu-Gi-Oh! Collectible Card Game IT (formerly I)
Portuguese (Europe) Yu-Gi-Oh! TRADING CARD GAME PT (formerly P)
Portuguese (South America) Yu-Gi-Oh! ESTAMPAS ILUSTRADAS Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Cards PT
Spanish Yu-Gi-Oh! JUEGO DE CARTAS COLECCIONABLES Yu-Gi-Oh! Collectible Card Game SP (formerly S)

Logos[edit]

English, German and European Portuguese[edit]

French[edit]

Italian[edit]

South American Portuguese[edit]

Spanish[edit]

References[edit]

  1. animenewsnetwork.com Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc.'s Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game is One for the Record Books with More Than 22 Billion Cards Sold around the World
  2. iptrademarkattorney.com Reply to Separate Statement of Uncontroverted Facts in Support of Konami's Motion for Partial Summary Judgment for a Finding of Liability Against Upper Deck, p. 57, Purported Additional Facts #127. "It is undisputed that the relationship began in or about October 2001 with a Deal Memo."
  3. "Konami of Europe announces European distribution of Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card game". 8 November 2002. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
  4. "Business as usual as Upper Deck Takes over Yu-Gi-Oh! for the UK ..." (PDF). 20 January 2004. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 May 2006. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
  5. "Invasion of Chaos - Possibly The First World Release? (UPDATE: Yes)". Retrieved 6 September 2022.
  6. "Yu-Gi-Oh! TRADING CARD GAME Card Use Policy". 6 May 2004. Archived from the original on 9 March 2005. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
  7. 1 animenewsnetwork.com Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. to Take Control of the Yu-Gi-Oh! TRADING CARD GAME™
  8. dockets.justia.com: Upper Deck Company v. Konami Marketing, Inc. et al