Buzz
Recently, Pokémon UNITE announced its first-ever tournament with a staggering 1 million USD prize pool, featuring 16 competing teams.
Pokémon UNITE is arguably one of the standout MOBA games closing out 2021. Originally released on Nintendo Switch and making its mobile debut at the end of September, players in the SEA region, such as Singapore, can now download Pokémon UNITE from both the App Store and Google Play.
In October, Pokémon Unite's Japanese social media page celebrated a remarkable milestone. Despite being a relatively new MOBA, the game achieved an impressive 25 million downloads. An outstanding feat for a fledgling MOBA.
With a unique and refreshingly simple style that sets it apart from many other MOBAs, coupled with the iconic Pokémon brand, it's easy to understand why the game quickly captivated a large player base. However, to sustain community passion and long-term engagement, establishing an esports tournament system is absolutely crucial.
Naturally, The Pokémon Company is well aware of this and has swiftly unveiled its own plans. In a recent blog post, designer Masaaki Hoshino shared insights into the 2022 esports tournament organization plans, eagerly anticipated by Pokémon enthusiasts and the esports community at large.
Pokémon UNITE is set to make its mark at the 2022 Pokémon World Championship, the largest and longest-running tournament in this renowned gaming franchise. Alongside traditional Pokémon titles and Pokémon Card battling games, the championship boasts a total prize pool of 1 million USD (approximately 22 billion VND) for 16 teams. Details on the selection process for these 16 teams will be announced soon.
It must be acknowledged that this is a promising direction for the emerging MOBA game. Of course, there's much work ahead for Pokémon UNITE to compete with other popular MOBA titles. Nevertheless, these initial steps are crucial in shaping the future of an esports tournament system. Hopefully, Pokémon UNITE will continue to thrive and reach new heights in the coming times.
