Pokémon Unite gets surprise July release date for Switch, with mobile coming later

Cross-platform MOBA Pokémon Unite will release for Nintendo Switch in July and mobile devices in September, The Pokémon Company has announced.

Pokémon Unite was announced by The Pokémon Company in June 2020 and is a co-operative team battle game being created in collaboration with Tencent.

The game is in development at Tencent’s Timi Studio, which also created Activision’s Call of Duty Mobile, and will release as a free-to-start title for both mobile and Nintendo Switch, with cross-platform play supported.

Thursday’s release date news was accompanied by a new trailer, which can be viewed below.

Pokémon Unite features two teams of five battling for control of a game map, similar to many popular MOBA titles, with players able to level up their Pokémon during matches, unlocking new moves in the process.

According to an earlier video, the game will feature battle passes which can be purchased to unlock different outfits for their monsters. Based on menu screens, it appears that multiple costumes can be unlocked for each Pokémon.

Tencent announced its partnership with The Pokémon Company in July 2019. Its Timi studio is headquartered in Shenzhen, China and has offices in Los Angeles, Chengdu, and Shanghai.

In a statement Timi said Unite would offer “a new twist on team battles, with a focus on the inherent fun of playing with Pokémon, offering battling, capturing and training Pokémon to evolve.”