Just this morning, another round of Pokemon-related news was broadcast around the globe, with Pokemon Company President Tsunekazu Ishihara acting as host. While many fans had numerous theories regarding what would be revealed today, with many hoping for a Johto version of Pokemon Let’s Go and many others hoping for Pokemon Diamond and Pokemon Pearl remakes, no one could have predicted what was revealed today. The Pokemon Company has been working with Tencent in order to produce the first strategic team-based battle game for Pokemon.
The game in question is called Pokemon Unite and based on both descriptions of the game as well as video, it appears to have similar mechanics to the popular Esports game League Of Legends. Players will face off against each other in two teams of five Pokemon on a large somewhat circular battle arena. Based on videos of gameplay, players will be able to choose from a myriad of Pokemon to use as their champions, such as Machamp, Talonflame, Gengar, and many more. The game also features five goals on each side of the arena where players can score points. Players can score points by catching wild Pokemon and going back to their goal, with the main goal of the game being to score more points than the opposing team before the time runs out. Players can also strengthen their Pokemon by defeating wild Pokemon, eventually evolving and becoming exponentially stronger, just like in a mainline Pokemon game. Along with being able to evolve, player Pokemon can also learn new moves as they level up, with the player choosing which moves they want their Pokemon to have. After leveling up enough, players can unlock special moves known as Unite Moves, which can have devastating effects when used on the opposing team.
While some gamers are quite excited about the game, many other players appear to be incensed about the game’s announcement, with some players wishing they received reveals for either the theorized remakes or Pokemon Let’s Go for the Johto Region. Many in the chat section have expressed disinterest, distaste, or disgust for this new game. Whether this game will become popular or not, only time will tell.
Pokemon Unite will be free to start games for both the Nintendo Switch, iOS, and Android and will support cross-platform play. It is unknown at the moment when the game will be released.