Pokemon UNITE

Pokemon Unite (stylized as Pokémon UNITE) is a free-to-play, multiplayer online battle arena video game developed by TiMi Studio Group and published by The Pokémon Company for Android, iOS, and Nintendo Switch. It was announced in a Pokémon Presents presentation on 24 June 2020. The game was released for the Nintendo Switch on 21 July 2021, and was released for Android and iOS in 73 countries on 22 September 2021. As of August 2022, the game has been downloaded over 80 million times across all platforms.

Pokémon Unite is a multiplayer online battle arena game, with standard matches consisting of two teams, each with 5 players. Each match is limited to 10 minutes in duration, and the team with the highest total score by the end of each match wins. If there is a tie, the team that reached the final score first (i.e. was previously leading in points) wins. A team can also win if the opposing team surrenders, which can only occur once the match reaches the halfway mark, and only if a supermajority of one team votes to surrender.

There are limited time events with special rules, and a game mode called Quick Battle, 5 minute matches on smaller maps with 3-4 players per team and some changes to the rules. Each player starts a match controlling a relatively weak Pokémon. The Pokémon may become stronger and gain access to new “moves” by capturing wild Pokémon, helping defeat wild Pokémon that their teammate captures, scoring a goal (with the amount of Experience gained varying depending on the number of points scored) and knocking out enemy player Pokémon.

The “type” system common in other Pokémon games, a system similar to rock paper scissors that determines each Pokémon’s effectiveness against others, is absent from Pokémon Unite. However, the game includes a new mechanic to the series known as “Unite Moves”, which are moves similar to Ultimate moves in other MOBAs, and are unique to each Pokémon and are unlocked at certain levels depending on the Pokémon. Currently the game has over 62 playable Pokémon. Aside from the gameplay, Pokémon Unite differs from other MOBAs by lacking an in-game scoreboard, to discourage players from leaving the game out of frustration when they are losing in score.

Instead, the current score is implied through announcements at specific times of the match, specifically at 5 minutes to the end of the match, 3 minutes to the end of the match, two minutes before the end of the match and one minute before the end of the match. For instance, if the “We have a huge lead!” announcement is played, it means that one’s own team is leading the score by 100 points or more, while if the “We’re REALLY struggling!” announcement is played, it means that one’s own team is trailing by 100 points or more.