Game Freak's mobile game Pocket Card Jockey to be re-released on Apple Arcade

Pokémon developer Game Freak announced the return of its old game Pocket Card Jockey. Beginning January 20, the mobile game will be made available on Apple Arcade as Pocket Card Jockey: Ride On!, over seven years after it was delisted from mobile platforms in Japan. 

The game has the distinction of being the second game from the developer to release on iOS and Android, and its first non-Pokémon title to come to mobile. And for the Apple Arcade, an updated release of a classic game such as this has the bonus of turning heads towards the subscription service and other games it may have to offer.

Game Freak first released the original Pocket Card Jockey in Japan for the Nintendo 3DS in 2013, and in the west three years later. Its mobile version released in 2014 solely for Japan, and service was ended over a year later. Players clear solitaire decks as a way to get their horses to progress on the racetrack until the race is over.

“The more cards they clear, the better their horse’s mood will be—which in turn helps them charge energy during races," reads the game's Apple Arcade description. The description adds that the new mobile version will retain the basic rules of the original Nintendo 3DS version, though racing segments have been recreated in 3D.

At the moment, it appears that Ride On! is exclusively for the Apple Arcade and supporting iOS devices.