How long Asmodee's Esdevium arm has distributed Pokémon cards in Europe

What this is

How long Asmodee's Esdevium arm has distributed Pokémon cards in Europe: since 2003 in the UK and 2004 in France, so 23 and 22 years by 2026.

How it’s built

1. Embracer's December 2024 brochure on spinning off Asmodee gives UK rights from March 2003 and France from 2004.
2. Subtract from 2026: 23 and 22 years. Asmodee bought Esdevium in 2010, so it inherited the UK relationship rather than winning it.
3. The same brochure elsewhere says Pokémon cards since 1999, which would make it about 27 years.

What we assumed

• The 2003 and 2004 dates mark the start of direct rights from the Pokémon side.2003 is when Wizards' original Pokémon card contracts ended. The 1999 date may be Wizards-era distribution, but no source found confirms that.

Sanity check

The brochure calls Pokémon a "distribution partner", not exclusive, and mentions no long written contract. Long tenure is not the same as a locked-in deal.

Where it comes from

Our calculation from other figures in the trainer’s notes:

• ReportedPokémon card game relationship start, brochure p.24 (full clause), 1999
• ReportedWhen Pokémon USA took over the English card game from Wizards of the Coast

Where it’s used

• ProfileAsmodee Group
• ProfileAsmodee UK Ltd