Pokémon Unite is a cross-platform team battle game from Tencent

The Pokémon Company has announced Pokémon Unite, a team battle game created in collaboration with Tencent.

The cooperative game is in development at Tencent’s Timi Studio, which also created Activision’s Call of Duty Mobile, and will release as a free-to-start title for both mobile and Nintendo Switch, with cross-platform play supported.

In a live stream on Wednesday, Tencent’s Steven Ma said Unite represented the concept of players -and companies – coming together with a shared goal.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0meaWFXuTzc&feature=emb_title

The game has two teams of five battling for control of a game map, similar to many popular MOBA titles, with players able to level up their Pokémon during matches, unlocking new moves in the process.

More details regarding release timing will be released in the future, The Pokémon Company said.

Tencent announced its partnership with The Pokémon Company a year ago. Its Timi studio is headquartered in Shenzhen, China and has offices in Los Angeles, Chengdu, and Shanghai.

In a statement Timi said Unite would offer “a new twist on team battles, with a focus on the inherent fun of playing with Pokémon, offering battling, capturing and training Pokémon to evolve.”

It said: “Pokémon is cherished by players of all ages around the world. We have been hard at work to allow for an entirely new way to experience Pokémon that is fun for players of different backgrounds to play over and over again.”

Unite is one of several announcements made by The Pokémon Company this month. Last week it announced New Pokémon Snap, a Nintendo Switch sequel to the classic N64 game.

It also showcased Pokémon Café Mix, a free-to-start puzzle game for Switch, iOS and Android, and a second mobile app – Pokémon Smile – designed to help children brush their teeth.