TL; DR
- Pokémon Unite now has a September release date for its Android and iOS versions.
- The Nintendo Switch version will come out first sometime in July.
- The 5v5 online multiplayer game will have cross-platform support.
About a year after the official announcement, the Pokémon Company has finally announced a release period for their next mobile video game. The online multiplayer fighting game Pokémon Unite will first be released for the Nintendo Switch in July, followed by a launch in September for the Android and iOS mobile versions. The announcement did not contain a specific launch date for any of the new platforms.
As previously announced, the game will be a free-to-play title. It has elements of a MOBA-like game in which two teams of five players each compete against each other, each with their own Pokémon with their own skills and items. As each battle progresses, players’ Pokémon evolve and begin to acquire new skills. When players defeat opposing Pokémon or Wild Pokémon, they drop Aeos Energy, which can then be collected and put into the opposing team’s goal for points. The team with the most points at the end of the fight wins.
While the game will be free to play, Pokémon Unite has microtransaction support. The company has already announced that players will be able to unlock more Pokémon, along with new outfits for their trainer and holowear for Pokémon.
Hopefully we’ll get more information on Pokémon Unite, including a more accurate release date, in the near future. We’ll have to see if this cross-platform game has the same popularity as another mobile game, the AR-themed Pokémon Go.