Pokemon Unite summer release confirmed as new details revealed

As promised, today The Pokemon Company announced new details on Pokemon Unite, a MOBA-type game that's coming to Switch and mobile. Today we learned more about how matches will play out, how players will acquire more Pokemon to use in Unite battles, and what the microtransaction system will look like. In addition, we also got a better idea of when Pokemon Unite will be launching, but sadly, we didn't get precise release dates for any platform.

As we already know, Pokemon Unite is a new 5v5 competitive game that seems to draw inspiration from MOBAs like League of Legends and Dota 2. There are some big differences between those games and Pokemon Unite, though – for instance, while the goal in League of Legends is to push lanes and destroy structures until you can destroy the opposing team's Nexus, Pokemon Unite will have you fighting wild and opposing Pokemon and depositing their energy in the other team's goal zone to increase your team's score.

Just like in a traditional MOBA, Pokemon level up and can even evolve throughout the course of a match, and it seems that each Pokemon has one of five roles: Attacker, Defender, Speedster, Support, or All-Rounder. The Pokemon Company notes today that the Pokemon franchise's traditional strengths and weaknesses don't apply in Pokemon Unite, so teams will probably want to fill each of the five roles to have a balanced roster.

We also learned today that Pokemon Unite will have seasonal battle passes that can be leveled up by completing challenges or by using Aeos Gems, which will be Pokemon Unite's premium currency. There will be two other free-to-play currencies – Aeos Coins and Aeos Tickets – that can be earned through playing the game. Players can redeem Aeos Coins and Gems to obtain Unite licenses that unlock new Pokemon for use in matches.

Pokemon Unite will also have a ranked competitive mode, along with cross-play and cross-progression between the Switch and mobile versions (though you need either a Pokemon Trainer Club Account or Nintendo Account for cross-progression). The Pokemon Company announced today that Pokemon Unite will be arriving on Switch in July and mobile devices in September but declined to get more specific than that. We'll keep our eyes peeled for more details on Pokemon Unite and update you when we learn more, so stay tuned for that.