A brand new Pokémon experience is headed to Nintendo Switch and mobile devices in the near future and it’s assuredly not what anyone was expecting.
Revealed earlier today in a dedicated presentation first announced last week, Pokémon Unite promises to be an adventure like no other for the franchise. That last part is an important stipulation to make, by the way, as while Unite certainly represents a first for The Pokémon Company, the genre it’s attempting to branch out into has long been occupied by some of the most successful video games ever made. No, we’re not referring to battle royales (though that would be incredible), but rather, MOBAs.
Currently in development at Chinese multinational company Tencent, Pokémon Unite, similarly to the likes of Dota 2 and League of Legends, pits two teams against each other in battle, with the ultimate aim being to take control of/destroy the opposing side’s base. Featuring a traditional three-lane map, players are able to choose from a plethora of different Pokémon to control during any given match, each of which can level up, evolve and learn new abilities along the way.
While the initial reveal trailer above doesn’t touch on release dates or business models, Unite‘s status as a free-to-play experience almost certainly dictates the presence of in-game purchases, though it remains to be seen how necessary, if at all, these will be to unlock additional playable Pokémon. In terms of cosmetics, we can already envision Shiny variant skins being one surefire method Tencent will use to monetize the title. All speculation at this point, of course, and only in time will more official details surface.
Until then, be sure to share with us your initial impressions of Pokémon Unite in the usual place below!