When Pokémon Unite was announced, fan reaction was almost universally negative. Pokémon Company International will undoubtedly be guiding this, but TiMi will still need to do a lot of the heavy lifting.” “ Honor of Kings/Arena of Valor has shown it can distill the MOBA experience on touchscreens, but the real key with Pokémon Unite will be the authenticity of the presentation. “Tencent's TiMi team has proved itself as a master of translating complex console and PC-style gameplay and controls to mobile,” Nelson explained. Of course, if any studio can buck that trend, it’s the studio behind Arena of Valor and Call of Duty: Mobile. He noted that mobile Pokémon games haven’t performed remarkably well, Pokémon Go being the obvious exception. It could also serve to introduce a wider array of players to the genre,” Randy Nelson, head of mobile insights at analyst group Sensor Tower, told GameDaily.ĭespite that potential, Nelson cautioned that a lot will have to go right with Unite’s development and marketing strategy for it to perform well in the west. “Unlike in Asia, mobile MOBAs have struggled to establish a foothold in western markets, but Pokémon Unite has the potential to buck that trend given the popularity of the license. In western markets, the game never took off as Tencent might have hoped, but Unite is well-positioned to change that track record. On the other hand, TiMi Studios is perhaps the biggest name in mobile MOBAs, a genre led by Arena of Valor, which is developed by the Tencent-owned company.Īrena of Valor, or Honor of Kings, as it’s known in its home market of China, is one of the top-grossing video games of all time.

On the one hand, the genre is becoming crowded, and the gap between the bulk of the segment and perennial juggernauts Dota 2 and League of Legends continues to widen. Unite’s grab for a piece of the MOBA pie is an interesting prospect. Nintendo has been busy bolstering the Pokémon property as of late between Unite, the first major expansion for Pokémon Sword and Shield, a new Pokémon Snap, Pokémon Cafe Mix, and Pokémon Smile, it’s a busy time for our favorite pocket monsters.

Last week, Nintendo and TiMi Studios announced Pokémon Unite, an upcoming free-to-play MOBA for the Switch and mobile platforms. Analysts weigh in on the unexpected announcement, and the financial appeal of the MOBA genre.

Timi studio