Well folks, it seems like another mobile game is soon to shut up shop. Indeed, as the title suggests, Tencent and the Pokémon Company have announced that Pokémon Unite will shut down on the 23rd of March 2027. Here’s the announcement they provided about the shut down:
Thank you for playing Pokémon UNITE.
We regret to inform you that service for Pokémon UNITE will end on Tuesday, March 23, 2027, at 00:00 UTC.
We offer our sincerest gratitude to the many Trainers who have played since service started for the Nintendo Switch version on July 21, 2021. We would like to express our thanks to everyone by holding a special event until service ends. The Pokémon UNITE Aeos Crown 2027 Tokyo competitive tournament (an event for Pokémon UNITE only) will also be held as previously announced. We hope you continue to enjoy Pokémon UNITE until the final day of service. After service ends, the “Pokémon UNITE Game Content Guidelines for Online Platforms” will no longer be published or maintained, and we will no longer provide support regarding use of Pokémon UNITE video and images.
There’s also more information provided about when various features will be discontinued (like UNITE Club memberships being unable to buy as of today), as well as an update that’ll allow players to access a library feature to view certain records and in-game content.
It’s a sad end for a promising title, and a surprisingly quick closure for such a highly marketed game.
But we can’t really say we’re too surprised here. Pokémon mobile games come and go on a regular basis, with Pokémon Duel, Pokémon Shuffle and Pokémon Rumble Rush only being a few of the franchises past failures. When a Pokemon mobile game does well it definitely does really well (like with Pokémon GO or Pokémon TCG Pocket), but it’s not a magic success button by any means. Pokemon Unite’s player count was dwindling even before this point, and the concept just didn’t catch on as much as the company wished it would. The writing was on the wall here.
Still, what do you think about the situation? Are you disappointed to see the end of Pokémon UNITE? Why do you think the game is being shut down next year?
Leave your thoughts in the comments below, or on our Discord server today!
Source:
Pokemon UNITE End of Service Announcement