Pokémon Unite announced

Pokémon Unite announced

Do we call it a PokéMOBA? A MOBAsaur? MOBAzard?

During today’s Pokémon Presents mini-Direct, Nintendo and The Pokémon Company revealed Pokémon Unite, in development with Tencent.

The game is a team-based Pokémon action game, in which battles of 5v5 take place to cover ground. Yes, it sounds like a MOBA. Teammates will work together to capture and improve their pocket monsters, and try to earn as many points as possible. That includes battling the opponents and their creatures as well.

The viewpoint takes place from overhead, like other MOBAs, and can be played with both controller and touch screen — important because the game will launch on both Nintendo Switch and mobile platforms and be crossplay compatible.

This is Nintendo’s first real push into the MOBA space, and though the developers are touting accessibility, it clearly looks like it will be built for competitions and esports. Though many fans were hoping for a ne “Let’s GO” iteration based on Johto-region Pokémon games, this could be a considerable push into a more competitive space for the company overall.