Pokemon Unite is a new MOBA game coming to Switch and mobile.

The Pokemon Company showcased gameplay clearly inspired by League of Legends and DOTA 2. Players choose a Pokemon at the start of the game and level it up in 5v5 battles on Switch and mobile.

Tencent’s TiMi Studios is developing the game. The studio is best known for its work on Call of Duty: Mobile. Pokemon Unite is what Nintendo calls a free-to-start game – laden with plenty of microtransactions. At least crossplay support between mobile and Switch is supported.

For now, we don’t know the Pokemon Unite release date.

Pokemon Snap made headlines last week after a surprise announcement for Nintendo Switch. Pokemon’s new Sword and Shield DLC is also available, bringing lots for Pokemon fans to do.

I’m actually kind of surprised it has taken Nintendo this long to realize the Pokemon roster is perfect for a MOBA. Both League of Legends and DOTA 2 have had to build their own characters and lore. There are over 700 Pokemon characters to pull from, giving unlimited update potential in the future.

Gamers who enjoy the MOBA meta expect frequent new characters and gameplay adjustments. It will be interesting to see how well this game is supported in the long run. Nintendo has been notoriously shy about its mobile strategy, preferring to lean heavily on its console business.

Pokemon Unite Features

  • Players control Pokemon, then defeat and capture Pokemon on the map
  • Level up and evolve Pokemon
  • Pokemon gain more powerful moves and skills as they evolve
  • A score system allows games in a timed loop
  • Free-to-start game with crossplay supported

It will be interesting to see how this performs among Switch owners vs. mobile owners. Pokemon is a highly popular franchise that will likely attract more eyes to the MOBA genre.

Hopefully, Nintendo has a plan to deal with the toxicity that MOBA communities tend to generate. It’s impossible to discuss a MOBA online without encountering tryhards who are ready to berate you.

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