Card trading and collecting is a fun hobby for gamers all over the world, but for others, it’s a business. And it’s a booming one. Unfortunately, popular games are often the target for scalpers who try to acquire as much product as possible at MSRP, to resell later for much more. Many franchises with card games have become targets of this behavior, such as the Pokémon Trading Card Game and the One Piece Card Game.
To lower costs and increase profits, resellers tend to purchase TGC products in bulk; this often prevents other potential customers from purchasing cards. Having noticed this, The Pokémon Company introduced facial recognition systems to its stores to help control bulk purchases. Even though the One Piece Card Game hasn’t been around for as long, it quickly got the attention of scalpers, which is why Bandai Namco is following in Pokémon’s footsteps and installing facial recognition technology in its stores. As of Aug. 22, fans will be identified upon entering a One Piece Card Game shop and may be denied purchases based on their recent purchase history and store visits.
The Pokémon Company implemented this feature in stores not only to stop scalpers but also to prevent criminal activity, following several terrifying incidents, such as a $21,000 robbery and a homicide. Bandai Namco’s notice reads that facial recognition systems will “provide all customers with fair sales opportunities,” but maintaining the safety of their employees is certainly a big factor in the decision to implement this technology. Once facial recognition is enabled in these stores, One Piece Card Game employees are likely to feel safer in their workspace.
Bandai Namco’s in-store privacy policy states it may collect customer information during offline business interactions, including personal videos and images. As for purchases made online, it mentions that it may collect personal information from the user’s search history, browsing history, and IP address. Suspicious customers will not be able to make purchases.
Measures like this are sure to rile up fans who believe that companies are crossing privacy boundaries. However, the scalpers issue has become so relevant that Bandai Namco and The Pokémon Company simply cannot afford to ignore it anymore. These measures only apply to stores in Japan for the moment, and it’s unlikely they will appear overseas anytime soon.