 On August 2 , 1997 , Wizards of the Coast was granted U.S. Patent 5 @,@ 662 @,@ 332 on collectible card games . In January 1999 , Wizards of the Coast began publishing the highly successful Pokémon Trading Card Game . The game proved to be very popular , selling nearly 400 @,@ 000 copies in less than six weeks , and selling 10 times better than Wizards ' initial projections . There was such a high demand for Pokémon cards that some sports card series were discontinued in 1999 because so many printers were producing Pokémon cards . The game won the 1999 National Parenting Center 's Seal of Approval . 
