Pokémon Unite: Can the new MOBA have an esports scene as successful as League of Legends or Dota 2?

If you weren’t living under a rock for the last couple of days, then you have probably heard of the new friendly-neighborhood MOBA which has been the talk of the town.

Last Wednesday, when Nintendo and The Pokémon Company held a special Pokémon Presents broadcast, they (rather the president of the Company) announced a whole new game for our favorite Pocket Monsters called Pokémon Unite. And this time around, it would seem that it’s going to be a MOBA.

Looks a whole lot like League of Legends and Dota2

The broadcast came with a small gameplay clip of Pokémon Unite and it looked a whole lot like League of Legends and Dota2 to us.

However, the game is not going to be out on PC and is only going to have a release on the Nintendo and Mobile platform (Android and iOS).

The game will primarily be a 5v5 co-op tactical multiplayer game, and the map on which the Pokémon fight will take place will be divided into three lanes like it is in LoL and Dota. Hence, teamwork and communication will be quite important when it comes to winning games.

Screen Grab from the gameplay trailer Screen Grab from the gameplay trailer

You win by scoring points against your opponent

Instead of breaking towers here, you have three goal spots for each lane and for each team, and then a final goal before the nexus; you and your opponents will need to score points here to win.

Will it have a promising esports scene?

Where there is a MOBA, there is bound to be an esports scene surrounding it, no matter how big or how small.

So if we think about Pokémon Unite in terms of an esport, then we will have to first take League of Legend’s Wild Rift into account and see how well that does in the competitive market.

Pokémon had a lot of different types of games in the past. From GO to even having its very own inclusion in Smash Brothers, there have been a lot of ways that a fan could play with Pokémon. Now, a handheld MOBA is a first, and from the trailer itself, we can see that Nintendo is doing a lot of things differently when compared to LoL and Dota.

With the same Pokémon that you’re playing with, you can choose to fight in whichever way you want. You can unlock specific abilities as the Pokémon levels up, giving you a variety of gameplay options to pick from.

The abilities you pick will also revolve around the rest of the abilities that the Pokémon of your teammates have. Hence communication is of utmost importance.

Pokémon Unite can be a very tactical online multiplayer experience and we will not be surprised if it develops an esports scene that is as successful as either League of Legends or Dota.

Which Pokémon are available in the roster?

So far, Pikachu, Charmander, Squirtle, Bulbasaur, Machop, Snorlax, Ghastly, Talonflame, Clefairy, Stufful, and Riolu are the ones available for play. And as the Pokémon level up inside the game, we can assume that Charmeleon, Charizard, Wartortle, Blastoise, Ivysaur, Venusaur, Machoke, Machamp, Haunter, Gengar, Clefable, Bewear, and Lucario will also be available.

However, Nintendo has promised a much bigger roster when the game finally releases (whose exact date we are yet to know).