The Official Pokémon YouTube channel has announced a new Pokémon game for Android, iOS, and the Nintendo Switch. It's called Pokémon Unite, and it's a MOBA. As you would expect, you'll be tasked with collecting Pokémon as part of the MOBA's team-based online-multiplayer battle arena gameplay. Unsurprisingly, Pokémon Unite is being developed in partnership with Tencent, so I fully expect the game to land as a blatant cash grab, just like Pokémon Café Mix. Clearly, The Pokemon Company is intent on running this franchise through the mud, just so long as it can make a quick buck with lazy clones on mobile. As expected, there is no release date, no talk of target regions, and of course, nobody's mentioned anything about monetization.

If you'd like to check out the announcement video for Pokémon Unite, you can do so above. It's an eleven-minute trailer, and since it's hosted by Tsunekazu Ishihara, the entire video is dubbed in English. I suppose this English dub should signal a Western release for Pokémon Unite, but since The Pokemon Company hasn't confirmed anything, not even a release date, we'll just have to wait for more information to arise patiently. At the very least, the above video shows off gameplay while explaining mechanics, though if you're familiar with MOBAs, there's nothing too surprising in the mix.

So far all we know is that Pokémon Unite will support cross-play between the Switch and mobile versions, so at least fans should be able to expect a worthwhile player base upon release. Hopefully, in the coming months, The Pokemon Company will have more to share about Pokémon Unite, because right now I can't say yet another mobile MOBA has piqued my interest, even with a Pokémon skin slapped on top.

PRESS RELEASE

UPDATE: 2021/02/17 6:25am PST BY MATTHEW SHOLTZ

Pokémon Unite is coming to Canada as a regional beta

The Pokémon Company has announced that its upcoming Pokémon-branded MOBA will be coming to Canada in March. This will be a regional beta release for Android devices in order to test the game. Since last year's announcement (above), the developer (TiMi Studios) has claimed that it's added new Pokémon to the game while also improving the title's visuals, so it sounds like the studio has reached a point that it feels the game should be tested in a large market, hence the upcoming beta.

While we don't yet know the exact date this beta test will go live, it will happen in March and only in Canada. Those that want to participate will have to be at least 16 years old, and it's already known saves will be wiped after this test ends. It also looks like recording or streaming gameplay isn't allowed, though I'm sure videos will leak all the same. Of course, you have to wonder why TiMi Studios (and its parent company Tencent) doesn't want people to see the game in action, almost as if it would be instantly apparent the game will exist as a low-effort cash-grab. After all, if you have to keep people in the dark about your game in order to garner interest, it's doubtful your game is actually any good.

Still, whether we want it or not, Pokémon Unite is coming, and it's already listed on the Play Store, though there is currently no way to pre-register. But if you'd like to take a look at this new listing, you can simply click on the widget below to navigate to the appropriate page.

Source: Pokémon

UPDATE: 2021/06/17 8:57am PDT BY MATTHEW SHOLTZ

Pokémon UNITE is headed to Android this year

The Pokémon Company and TiMi Studio Group have decided to trickle out more info for their upcoming Pokémon-themed MOBA. Today, we learned that Pokémon Unite is headed to the Nintendo Switch in July, with the mobile version landing on Android and iOS this September. As expected, the game will be free-to-start, and today's announcement mentions that it will offer a Battle Pass, shedding more light on what 'free-to-start" actually means.

Despite today's announcement focusing on the game's release dates, no actual hard dates have been provided, so I'm guessing yet another announcement or two will take place to shed some light on the actual release dates for July and September. Unfortunately, there's still no way to pre-register on the Play Store either, despite the fact the listing has been up for months.

So yeah, it would appear that The Pokémon Company is clearly going to milk any and all information about Pokémon UNITE to keep fan interest in the game as high as possible. Of course, if you'd like to peruse the full details of today's press release, you can check it out on the official Pokémon website.

Source: Pokémon

Pokémon UNITE Developer: The Pokémon Company
Price: Free
4.4
Download