{"id":126629,"date":"2022-07-17T13:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-07-17T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/#article-134219"},"modified":"2022-07-17T13:00:00","modified_gmt":"2022-07-17T13:00:00","slug":"feature-is-pokemon-unite-ready-for-its-moment-at-the-pokemon-world-championships","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/2022\/07\/17\/feature-is-pokemon-unite-ready-for-its-moment-at-the-pokemon-world-championships\/","title":{"rendered":"Feature: Is Pok\u00e9mon Unite Ready For Its Moment At The Pok\u00e9mon World Championships?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"Delphox
Image: The Pok\u00e9mon Company<\/a><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Before last year, a Pok\u00e9mon spin-off in the style of League Of Legends<\/strong> felt like an obscure offshoot, even for a franchise that\u2019s pitched Pikachu as a coffee-swilling detective. In many ways, a Pok\u00e9mon MOBA makes considerable sense \u2013 as a world filled with hundreds of unique monsters and built on battling \u2013 but it\u2019s the first time we\u2019ve seen the franchise adapted into a team-based multiplayer game that\u2019s largely propped up by its popularity as an esport.<\/p>\n

Pok\u00e9mon Unite<\/a> is pitched as an accessible entry point into an intimidating genre, and by most metrics, it\u2019s successful. There are annoyances with the free-to-play model, like the overwhelming amount of in-game currencies and a general lack of polish, but its shorter 10-minute matches, emphasis on scoring points, and reliable, speedy matchmaking, make the experience far more approachable and instantly gratifying in comparison to League of Legends or Dota<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Coupled with the Pok\u00e9mon license, it\u2019s perhaps not surprising the game \u2013 as of April this year \u2013 surpassed 70 million downloads worldwide<\/a> across Nintendo Switch and mobile. This success in its first year, however, feels like only the first step in Pok\u00e9mon Unite\u2019s legacy. TiMi Studio Group\u2019s other mobile MOBA Arena of Valor<\/a> has cultivated a huge competitive presence across Southeast Asia. Can Pok\u00e9mon Unite maintain this audience in the years to come?<\/p>\n

An answer should start to take shape at this year\u2019s Pok\u00e9mon World Championships in London. After being postponed for the past two years due to the pandemic, the event \u2013 which features tournaments in the trading card game, Pok\u00e9mon Sword and Shield<\/a>, Pok\u00e9mon GO<\/a>, and Pokk\u00e9n Tournament DX<\/a> (in its final appearance<\/a>) \u2013 will host Pok\u00e9mon Unite for the first time. The main prize? A huge $100,000 for the winning team, $20,000 for each player.<\/p>\n

\"Pok\u00e9mon
Image: The Pok\u00e9mon Company<\/a><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

While the Pok\u00e9mon World Championships hasn\u2019t attracted the multi-million viewership of the biggest esport events around, there\u2019s hope that Unite\u2019s debut will, at least, establish some renewed interest and investment into the title for the coming year. At the moment, few major esport organisations have sponsored Unite teams, perhaps due to The Pok\u00e9mon Company\u2019s tepid push into esports so far, along with the uncertainty around its long-term prospects.<\/p>\n

For UK player BruvHD, 25, from EU team Nouns Esports, qualification into the Pok\u00e9mon World Championships comes with heavy relief. Over the past year, he\u2019s played for various teams and seen rosters rise and quickly fall first-hand, shifting from his previous EU squad Team Five Guys \u2013 who have since disbanded \u2013 to Nouns Esports in May. Following the Regional Championships in June, the team came out on top as the best team in Europe.<\/p>\n