New Pokémon game is a MOBA for Switch and mobile

The Pokémon Company announced a new title, Pokémon Unite, a multiplayer online battle arena game made in partnership with Tencent.

The game is a five-on-five fairly traditional-looking MOBA for Nintendo Switch and mobile devices. Players run around a symmetrical map with each team having a base on each side. You’ll be tasked with catching Pokémon, which you can do by standing on certain capture points, as well as taking down your enemies using your Pokémon’s moves.

Players can choose from a handful of different Pokémon that have various combat skills. Snorlax, Pikachu, Talonflame, Machamp, Venusaur, Charizard, Blastoise, Clefairy, Gengar, and Lucario were shown on stream, but there may be more Pokémon added in the future.

The game is cross-platform, so players on mobile devices will be able to queue up and play with friends playing on their Nintendo Switches. No release date was announced.

Tencent and The Pokémon Company announced their partnership in July 2019. Tencent is known for Honor of Kings, a mobile MOBA that’s extremely popular in China, as well as holding a large stake in Riot Games, the studio behind League of Legends. A Pokémon MOBA does seem like the right combination when you mix the two companies together.