An official live stream recently captured the devastating moment when a talented young Pokemon player received an award from the President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of The Pokemon Company Tsunekazu Ishihara. The Twitch clip shows that the unfortunate young man’s Pokemon World Championships 2019 trophy breaks immediately after being handed to him. Molded to depict Pokemon series mascot Pikachu lifting a silver trophy of his own, the winged cup portion almost instantly snaps off in a rather awkward and upsetting moment.
This weekend Washington DC played host to the 2019 Pokemon World Championships, an event during which junior and senior players competed across a variety of Pokemon games, including the Trading Card Game and even Bandai Namco’s Nintendo Switch fighter Pokken Tournament DX. Isaac Terceira was a TCG Junior Finalist, and whilst he didn’t win that group, he did receive a (seemingly defective) trophy for his efforts. The very public blunder led to The Pokemon Company’s Ishihara inspecting the other trophies laid out on a table behind him, though considering Isaac was the only recipient unfortunate enough to have their trophy break—at least immediately, that is—it seems it may have been a singular manufacturing error.
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On the other side of the stage, Isaac was understandably visibly disappointed by the broken trophy, with the crowd audibly coming out in his support first by gasping at the scene and then applauding as the youngster maintained his composure. Presumably, the event staff were able to repair his trophy, but damage to the event’s image may not so easily be undone. For a professionally hosted weekend of competition, it’s an unfortunate closing hitch that’s led to some accusing The Pokemon Company of being cheap.
Otherwise, the huge Pokemon esports event mostly went off without a hitch, with its success paving the way for a 2020 iteration scheduled to take place in London, England. If you want to see the moment Isaac’s trophy broke for yourself, you can do so here.
Image source: Pokemon Twitch
