Pokémon Unite, also known as Pokémon UNITE, is a free-to-play multiplayer online battle game released in 2021. It was created by TiMi Studio Group and published by The Pokémon Company globally and by Tencent Games in China. The game was announced during a Pokémon Presents event on June 24, 2020, as a collaboration between The Pokémon Company and Tencent Games, which owns TiMi Studio Group. It was first released for the Nintendo Switch on July 21, 2021, and later launched on Android and iOS devices in 73 countries on September 22, 2021. As of July 2024, the game has been downloaded more than 200 million times on all platforms.
Gameplay
Pokémon Unite is a game where many players compete online in teams of five. Each match lasts 10 minutes, and the team with the highest score wins. If scores are tied, the team that reached the final score first (the team that was leading earlier) wins. A team can also win if the other team gives up, but this can only happen after 5 minutes of the match and only if most players on one team agree to surrender. Some matches have special rules during limited events, and there is a game mode called Quick Battle. In Quick Battle, matches last 5 minutes, teams have 3-4 players, and the maps are smaller with some rule changes.
At the start of each match, players control a Pokémon that is not very strong. Players can make their Pokémon stronger by capturing wild Pokémon, helping teammates capture wild Pokémon, scoring goals (with more experience earned for scoring more points), or defeating enemy players' Pokémon. Unlike other Pokémon games, Pokémon Unite does not use a "type" system, which is like a rock-paper-scissors rule that affects how Pokémon perform against each other. Instead, the game includes a new feature called "Unite Moves," which are special abilities unique to each Pokémon. These moves are unlocked when a Pokémon reaches certain levels. There are currently over 62 playable Pokémon in the game.
Unlike other similar games, Pokémon Unite does not show a scoreboard during matches. This is to prevent players from leaving the game when they are losing. Instead, the score is hinted at through announcements during the match. These announcements happen at 5, 3, 2, and 1 minute before the match ends. For example, if the message "We have a huge lead!" plays, it means the player's team is ahead by 100 points or more. If the message "We're REALLY struggling!" plays, it means the player's team is behind by 100 points or more.
Development
In January 2021, TiMi, a Chinese video game company, started a closed beta test. This test was only available to a small group of players in China.
In February 2021, The Pokémon Company shared plans for another closed beta test. This test was scheduled for March 2021 and was specifically for users in Canada who had Android smartphones.
The introduction of Pokémon Unite caused discussion among many people. Some believed the game could create a new type of competitive gaming for a new group of players. A YouTube video showing the game’s announcement became the most disliked video on The Pokémon Company’s YouTube channel.
The Nintendo Switch version of the game was officially released on July 21, 2021. The mobile versions for iOS and Android devices were released on September 22, 2021. TiMi plans to keep working on the game after its release. This includes adding new playable Pokémon as downloadable content. The first of these additions was available to players on July 28, 2021.
In esports
In January 2022, producer Masaaki Hoshino officially announced that the game would be part of the Pokémon World Championships in August. It joined other games, including the main series games (VGC), the TCG, Pokémon Go, and the last season of Pokkén Tournament’s Championship Series. On the game’s official website, Hoshino said a tournament mode was being developed. This mode would make the competition fair for all players, no matter the quality of their items. The tournament mode was released on January 20, 2022. That same month, the game was used in the AKB48 Group Invitational tournament. This event was part of the Pokémon Battle Festival Asia online event, hosted by ESL Asia. MNL48’s Team Padayon won the event after defeating BNK48’s Yummy Remote 3-1 in the Grand Finals.
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 had to be 16 or 18 years old to register, depending on their Regional Zone.
Each month, before the World Championships, tournaments in each Regional Zone would be held. Teams earned championship points (CP) during these events. Players could keep their CP to allow team changes as the season continued.
The top 8 teams in CP from each Regional Zone before June qualified for the Regional Championships. These championships started with a round-robin tournament, where teams were divided into four groups. After this stage, the tournament switched to a double-elimination format for the finals. The top teams from the finals qualified for the World Championships.
In August 2022, the North American team BLVKHVND won the first Unite Championship Series title in London. In August 2023, the same team, now competing under Luminosity Gaming, won the second Unite Championship Series in Yokohama. In August 2024, the Japanese team Fennel became the first non-North-American team to win the Unite Championship Series. They won in Honolulu, Hawaii, by defeating the South Korean team XoraTigersGaming 3-0.
Reception
Pokémon Unite received "mixed or average" reviews, according to Metacritic, a website that collects game reviews. IGN gave the game a score of 6 out of 10, pointing out that some in-game purchases let players buy advantages that help them win. These purchases have also been criticized for their cost. For example, one customizable option for the Pokémon Alolan Ninetales cost $40. Similar expensive purchases included a Halloween-themed skin for Lucario and a Christmas-themed skin for Pikachu. In response to fan discussions on social media, The Pokémon Company, through its official Pokémon Unite Twitter account, asked fans to take a survey to improve the game.
By September 16, 2021, the game had been downloaded more than 9 million times on the Nintendo Switch, with over 7.5 million mobile pre-registrations before its mobile release on September 22. By October 1, research company Sensor Tower reported that the game had been downloaded 30 million times on mobile devices. The Pokémon Company confirmed that the game had been downloaded over 25 million times on all platforms by October 4. On December 6, 2021, The Pokémon Company announced that the game had reached 50 million downloads. It was later confirmed that the game passed 70 million downloads in April 2022 and 80 million downloads by August 2022.
Pokémon Unite won the "Best Game" award at Google Play's Best of 2021 and the "Mobile Game of the Year" award at the 25th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards. The game also received a nomination for "Best Mobile Game" at the 2021 Game Awards.