Going to buy plushies and cards should be the safest experience in the world. Unfortunately, reality sometimes hits us hard. All official stores in Japan have just made an unprecedented decision. Management canceled any activity scheduled for the entire month of April. Why? A fatal attack inside the Pokémon Center in Ikebukuro district left the entire gaming community and staff in absolute shock.

Mourning and respect for an inexplicable tragedy

Let’s put into context what happened on March 26. An employee lost her life after being attacked by a man she already knew. The police made it clear that this was strictly a personal matter. Nothing to do with the Nintendo franchise or deranged fans. Still, the psychological impact is brutal. As a sign of respect, the Tokyo branch and the themed café Pokémon Sweets closed their doors indefinitely. In Japan, it’s a deeply rooted cultural tradition to pause entertainment when a tragedy of this level occurs to mourn.

The rest of the branches will continue operating for normal purchases, but the event schedule is completely empty. Forget meet-and-greets with mascots, Pokémon Greetings shows, or Collectible Card Game classes for kids. Everything suspended. The company doesn’t want a festive atmosphere right now. Official competitions continue, but cautiously. For example, in Pokémon GO tournaments, they won’t allow crowds to gather in front of screens or give gifts to spectators to avoid unnecessary crowds. Interestingly, the TCG City League saw no drastic changes and will continue as usual.

Safety before entertainment

Reading forums and seeing fans’ reactions is comforting. Thousands of users support the corporate decision. It obviously hurts to cancel family plans many had set for the holidays, but the priority now is for the company to review its safety measures and support those affected. We’ll have to wait until May to see if things return to normal in the physical entertainment industry.

Do you think all themed stores in the country should strengthen their access protocols after this event?