Pokémon Unite (stylized asPokémon UNITE)[3] is a 2021free-to-playmultiplayer online battle arena video game developed byTiMi Studio Group and published byThe Pokémon Company forAndroid,iOS, andNintendo Switch.[4][5] It was announced in aPokémon Presents presentation on 24 June 2020 as a partnership between The Pokémon Company and TiMi Studio Group ownerTencent Games.[5] The game was released for the Nintendo Switch on 21 July 2021, and was released for Android and iOS in 73 countries on 22 September 2021.[6] As of July 2024, the game has been downloaded over 200 million times across all platforms.
Pokémon Unite is a multiplayer online battle arena game in the manner of TiMi's previous titleHonor of Kings, with standard matches consisting of two teams, each with 5 players. Each match is limited to 10 minutes in duration, and the team with the highest total score by the end of each match wins.[7] If there is a tie, the team that reached the final score first (i.e. was previously leading in points) wins. A team can also win if the opposing team surrenders, which can only occur once the match reaches the halfway mark, and only if asupermajority of one team votes to surrender. There are limited time events with special rules, and a game mode called Quick Battle, 5 minute matches on smaller maps with 3-4 players per team and some changes to the rules.
Each player starts a match controlling a relatively weak Pokémon. The Pokémon may become stronger and gain access to new "moves" by capturing wild Pokémon, helping defeat wild Pokémon that their teammate captures, scoring a goal (with the amount of Experience gained varying depending on the number of points scored) and knocking out enemy player Pokémon.[8] The "type" system common in otherPokémon games, a system similar torock paper scissors that determines each Pokémon's effectiveness against others, is absent fromPokémon Unite. However, the game includes a new mechanic to the series known as "Unite Moves", which are moves similar to Ultimate moves in other MOBAs, and are unique to each Pokémon and are unlocked at certain levels depending on the Pokémon.[9] Currently the game has over 62 playable Pokémon.[10]
Aside from the gameplay,Pokémon Unite differs from other MOBAs by lacking an in-gamescoreboard, to discourage players from leaving the game out of frustration when they are losing in score;[11] instead, the current score is implied through announcements at specific times of the match, specifically at 5 minutes to the end of the match, 3 minutes to the end of the match, two minutes before the end of the match and one minute before the end of the match. For instance, if the "We have a huge lead!" announcement is played, it means that one's own team is leading the score by 100 points or more, while if the "We're REALLY struggling!" announcement is played, it means that one's own team is trailing by 100 points or more.
TiMi, a Chinese video game developer, began aclosed beta test in January 2021. This test was limited to select players in China.[12]
In February 2021, The Pokémon Company announced that another closed beta test would be scheduled for March 2021, this time specifically forCanadian Android smartphone users.[13][14]
The reveal ofPokémon Unite was controversial, with outlets discussing the game's potential to open a new competitive gaming scene to a fresh audience.[4] TheYouTube video of the announcement quickly became the mostdisliked video onThe Pokémon Company's YouTube channel.[15][16]
The Nintendo Switch version of the game was officially released on 21 July 2021. The mobile versions for iOS and Android have been released as of 22 September 2021.[17] TiMi plans to continue development of the game after its official release, such as offering new playable Pokémon asdownloadable content, the first of which became available for players on 28 July 2021.[18]
In January 2022, it was officially confirmed by producer Masaaki Hoshino that the game would be part of thePokémon World Championships taking place in August, joining the main series games (known as VGC), theTCG,Pokémon Go, andPokkén Tournament's last Championship Series season. In a statement on the game's official website, he also stated that a tournament mode is in development, wherein the playing field would be evened for all competitors, regardless of the grade of their items.[19] The tournament mode was eventually released on 20 January 2022. In the same month, the game was used as part of theAKB48 Group Invitational tournament, which in turn formed part of the Pokémon Battle Festival Asia online event, hosted byESL Asia.MNL48's Team Padayon won the event after they defeatedBNK48's Yummy Remote 3-1 in the Grand Finals.[20]
For the first season of the Pokémon Unite Championship Series, there were 11 supported Regional Zones: North America, Mexico, Central America, South America-West, South America-East, Japan, South Korea, Europe, Oceania, India, and the Asia-Pacific regions. Players must be 16 or 18 to register, depending on their Regional Zone.
In each month, in the lead up to the World Championships, a series of tournaments in each Regional Zone will be held. Like other games held in the World Championships, teams will be awarded championship points (CP), and the CP can be kept by players to allow team changes as the season progresses.
The top 8 teams in CP from each Regional Zone before June qualify for a spot in the Regional Championships. The Regional Championships begin with around-robin tournament, with teams split into four groups, before switching to adouble-elimination tournament for the finals. The top performing teams in the finals qualify for the World Championships.[21]
North American team BLVKHVND won the first Unite Championship Series title in August 2022 inLondon, and in August 2023, the same North American team, now competing underLuminosity Gaming, won the second Unite Championship Series inYokohama.[22] Japanese team Fennel became the first non-North-American team to win the Unite Championship Series, doing so in August 2024 inHonolulu, Hawaii by defeating South Korean team XoraTigersGaming 3-0.
| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| Metacritic | NS: 70/100[23] |
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| Destructoid | 7/10[24] |
| Game Informer | 8/10[25] |
| GameSpot | 7/10[26] |
| Gamezebo |   [27] |
| IGN | 6/10[28] |
| Nintendo Life | [29] |
| RPGFan | 75/100[30] |
| Shacknews | 7/10[31] |
Pokémon Unite received "mixed or average" reviews, according toreview aggregatorMetacritic.[23]IGN gave the game a 6/10, criticizing somemicrotransactions as enablingpay-to-win gameplay.[28] The game's microtransactions have also been criticized for their price, specifically, one of the customizable options for one of the Pokémon,Alolan Ninetales, costing US$40.[32] This would also happen again with a Halloween-exclusive skin for the PokémonLucario, as well as a Christmas-themed skin forPikachu. In response to discussions about the game on social media amongst fans, The Pokémon Company—through the officialPokémon UniteTwitter account—promoted a survey for feedback from fans to improve the game.[33]
By 16 September 2021, the game had been downloaded over 9 million times on the Switch,[34] with over 7.5 million mobile pre-registrations prior to the 22 September mobile release.[35] By 1 October, research company Sensor Tower reported thatUnite has been downloaded 30 million times for mobile devices, while The Pokémon Company confirmed that the game has been downloaded over 25 million times on all platforms by 4 October.[36] On 6 December 2021, The Pokémon Company announced that the downloads figure had reached 50 million.[37] It was further confirmed that the game passed the 70 million downloads mark in April 2022,[38] and 80 million by August 2022.[39]
Pokémon Unite won awards for "Best Game" at Google Play'sBest of 2021,[40] and "Mobile Game of the Year" at the25th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards.[41] The game also received a nomination for "Best Mobile Game" during the2021 Game Awards.[42]
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