So, this year’s Pokémon Day on February 27 was a bit of a mixed bag – we didn’t get as many surprises as we’d hoped for, but there were a few exciting announcements. One thing that did catch our attention was the new gameplay for Pokémon Legend: AZ, which is set to release later this year. But the real highlight was the announcement of a brand new Pokémon game, Pokémon Champions, which is coming to both the Nintendo Switch and mobile devices.
We’re talking about a completely new branch of the Pokémon franchise, one that focuses on fighting against other trainers. The trailer that was released shows that the game will have versions for both the Switch and mobile devices, and it’ll feature cross-play, allowing players on both platforms to match up and battle each other online. You can check out the trailer for yourself:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FV8VMUK8SG
## What is still known?
It’s been a while since we’ve seen a Pokémon game like this. The one that comes closest is probably Pokémon Stadium, which was released back in 1999 for the N64 and focused on strategic Pokémon battles. Pokémon Champions seems to be building on that idea, with a strong focus on PvP multiplayer action. The Pokémon Company is likely hoping to replicate the success of Pokémon Unite, or maybe even build on the massive success of Pokémon Go – although that’s a tough act to follow.
The new game is being developed by Pokémon Works, a subsidiary of the Pokémon Company that was founded last year. Game Freak is overseeing the project, while still working on the development of the next mainline Pokémon game.
## Pokémon Champions release
Unfortunately, we don’t have a concrete release date for Pokémon Champions just yet. We’re expecting more information about the game soon, and hopefully, we’ll get to see some real gameplay – the trailer only shows a few exemplary scenes that were created for promotional purposes. One thing we’re all wondering is whether the game will be free to play on both platforms. We’ll have to wait and see, but for now, we’re definitely excited to learn more about this new Pokémon game.