The Wii U fighting game Pokken Tournament is now coming to Nintendo's latest console, the Nintendo Switch. Titled Pokemon Tournament DX, the game will release this fall with new features exclusive to the Switch version. The announcement came today during a Nintendo Direct briefing. This will make Pokemon Tournament DX the first Pokemon title for the Nintendo Switch. Players will be able to play the game in handheld mode, TV mode, or by sharing a Joy-Con controller with another player in one-on-one matches.

Last week, it was rumored that Pokken Tournament would be receiving a remake on the Nintendo Switch, but now it's been confirmed ahead of the expected announcement at E3 2017. Pokken Tournament DX follows in the footsteps of another remake of a popular Wii U title, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, released on April 28.

The original Pokken Tournament released on the Wii U in March of 2016. Based on the gameplay mechanics of the Tekken series, Pokken Tournament featured one-on-battles between popular Pokemon characters. Players were able to choose from sixteen Pokemon, including fan-favorites like Charizard, Pikachu, Lucario, and Mewtwo. These characters could be pitted against each other in both offline and online modes.

Nintendo Switch

Like Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, this Nintendo Switch remake will add exclusive content. Pokken Tournament DX will see the return of all sixteen characters, but will also include five new characters: Darkrai, Scizor, Croagunk, Decidueye, and Empoleon. Players will now be able to take part in three-on-three battles, as well as online ranked play. Starting in 2018, some of the game's online features will require a paid subscription when Nintendo begins requiring memberships to participate in online play for the Nintendo Switch.

The five new characters had already been added to the arcade version of the game, but were previously unavailable on the Wii U version. The lack of DLC on the Wii U game was one reason why players were critical of the game. With the release of Pokemon Tournament DX, console gamers will finally gain access to the five missing characters. It's possible that more DLC characters could be added at a later date.

More details about the game are expected to be announced at the gaming convention, E3 2017, where Nintendo is expected to make announcements for other upcoming titles such as Super Mario Odyssey. Nintendo will host an E3 event on June 13.

Pokken Tournament DX releases on September 22 exclusively for the Nintendo Switch.

Source: Nintendo Direct