The first official tournament has finally been announced for Pokémon Unite. Originally launching for the Nintendo Switch back in July, Pokémon Unite is set to release on mobile devices on September 22nd of this year.
Pokémon Unite launched earlier this year as one of the major releases for the 2021 celebration that marks the brand's 25-year anniversary. The game is a Multiplayer Online Battle Arena, which sees teams of five players compete in matches similar to League of Legends and Dota 2. The game has been relatively well received during its first few months after release in spite of post launch glitches as well as pay-to-win concerns voiced by some Pokémon Unite players. Naturally Pokémon Unite has been compared to similar MOBAs such as League of Legends and now, like Riot Games' immensely successful title, there will be an official competition taking place in Nintendo's new MOBA.
Nintendo Life reported that the first official tournament for Pokémon Unite will take place on September 19 in Japan. The online event will feature a maximum of 256 teams battling in single elimination matches until the final stages where multiple matches will take place to establish the top players. Registration is currently open on Pokémon Unite's official Japanese website and it appears one must live in Japan in order to enter.
One major selling point for the game is Pokémon Unite's upcoming crossplay functionality. While the tournament will likely be played entirely on the Nintendo Switch, it comes just a few days before Pokémon Unite launches on mobile platforms. If the Japan event is successful and spawns similar tournaments around the world, then there is a chance that crossplay could play a unique role in competitions going forward.
Even though Pokémon Unite seems to be doing well in its early days, there are still many unknowns surrounding the title going forward, especially when it comes to the competition circuit. MOBAs like League of Legends and Dota 2 are played exclusively on PC and Macintosh with separate titles functioning as their mobile counterparts. While the Nintendo Switch can be played on the go, it is not yet known how much of an advantage or disadvantage playing Pokémon Unite on the console will bring compared to playing it on Android or Apple devices. Players are already pre-registering to play on mobile devices, and they're being rewarded with a Pokémon Unite Pikachu skin for their efforts. It will be interesting to see not only if Pokémon Unite is successful in the tournament environment, but also if crossplay will become part of its competition identity.
Pokémon Unite is available now on Nintendo Switch and will come to mobile devices on September 22.
Source: Nintendo Life, Pokémon Unite Japan