Ahead of today's Pokémon Unite launch for mobile devices, the Pokémon Company updated the game to include a range of new features as well as cross-play.
Pokémon Unite has already added a number of playable Pokémon since its release for Nintendo Switch in July. However, as the MOBA makes its long-awaited debut on mobile devices, The Pokémon Company announced features of the new update on its website while also taking to Twitter to show off new gameplay clips for upcoming debutants, Mamoswine and Sylveon.
Get ready, Trainers! Tomorrow, the battle continues as #PokemonUNITE arrives on mobile devices!
A new battle pass, new adventures, and a new way to play! pic.twitter.com/XvK7OrHqgo
— Pokémon UNITE (@PokemonUnite) September 21, 2021
As of today, Unite fans can battle it out across multiple platforms, as the MOBA's move to mobile also introduces cross-play. Budding trainers will be able to link their accounts across devices meaning that when you inevitably burn through the battery power on your Switch, there's always your trusty smartphone to keep your progress moving forward.
Pokémon Unite will also now feature a number of new in-game events, during which fans will get the chance to obtain Super Item Enhancers. Similar to standard Item Enhancers but far rarer, these will allow players to upgrade a held item straight to level 30 – a prospect that could take the edge off some of the game's microtransaction-driven grind.
With concerns over a pay-to-win nature of the game being brought into question since its release, the publisher has also said that it is developing a new mode of play "designed to level the playing field for all Trainers, regardless of their held items’ grades."
Pokémon Unite's new season also includes a brand new space-themed battle pass called Galactic Ghost 094, and the addition of Unite Squads. The Pokémon company says that through Unite Squads, players can use tags based upon their own preferences in playstyle to team up with other like-minded individuals who want to approach the game in a similar way. Whether you're destined for greatness or want to take the game at a casual pace, joining up with players of a similar mindset should now be pretty easy within the game.
Because over five million trainers preregistered for the mobile version of the game (three cheers for an arbitrary milestone), every user who has played the mobile version of Pokémon Unite before October 31 will receive the Unite license for Pikachu (which lets you play as the character in-game) along with a special Holowear for everyone's favorite little yellow companion and 1,000 Aeos tickets, which can be exchanged for in-game items. Mobile users will also be able to unlock the license for Zeroara as a launch bonus by winning a total of 32 battles in the game.
For more on Pokémon Unite, make sure to check out our review of the game where we gave it a 6/10 calling it "an entertaining MOBA constrained by its overcommitment to simplicity".
Jared Moore is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.