On its Website, Score Entertainment has announced the cancellation of its planned Bleach Trading Card Game: Infiltration launch.  The statement mentions the acquisition of Score by Panini (see “Panini Buys Donrus Playoff”) and continues “Unfortunately, Score Entertainment, the TCG division of Donruss Playoff, LP, was not part of the Donruss assets purchased by Panini America, Inc. As a result, the upcoming Bleach Infiltration TCG launch will be cancelled.”

Score introduced the Bleach TCG, which was designed by Aik Tongtharadol, in 2007.  As of last December six sets had been released.  The Bleach TCG Infiltration expansion was supposed to have been released in March.  Score Entertainment produced a number of trading card games, most of which, like its Bleach, DBZ, Inuyasha, Case Closed, Sonic X, and Yu Yu Hakusho games, were based on anime/manga properties.  Score Entertainment also created the Buffy the Vampire Slayer CCG, the Epic Battles TCG, and Afterworld.

The various entertainment categories have fared quite differently in the current recession.  While movies and comics have come through (at least so far) relatively unscathed, according to A.C. Nielsen, trading card sales are down 26.5% so far this year—a decline that has resulted in consolidation maneuvers such as Panini’s acquisition of Donruss.