Pokémon Unite is closing. The official end-of-service notice, posted on October 26, says service “will end on Tuesday, March 23, 2027, at 00:00 UTC,” and that the shutdown applies to both the Nintendo Switch version and the mobile version. After that date players “will no longer be able to log in to the game or participate in battles.” The notice gives no reason. The free-to-play MOBA launched on Switch on July 21, 2021, and on mobile that September, which puts the final day a few months short of six years of service.
Watch the short YouTubeGem sales stop at 05:00 UTC on October 27
The money side shuts off first. From 05:00 UTC on Tuesday, October 27, sales of Aeos gems are suspended, new Unite Club memberships are no longer accepted, and automatic Unite Club renewals stop. Gems already bought can be spent until service ends, and current club members keep their benefits until their membership period runs out. The notice does not mention refunds. The subreddit’s first reaction was a player who had spent on the anniversary event a few weeks ago, and another who has played since day one: “It’s over, boys and girls. It was an honor battling with and against you all.”
A November 12 update adds a library you can keep
The Pokémon Company is doing something a lot of closed live-service games have not. A special event and update on Thursday, November 12, adds a library feature and hands out items including Unite licenses and Holowear that have appeared in the game. Players who complete the required library data download before service ends can keep viewing those records and that content on their device after the servers go dark. The catch is in the small print: library data generally cannot be transferred between devices, support for the feature ends with the service, and anyone who does not download it in time loses it.
The competitive calendar survives the announcement. The Pokémon Unite Aeos Crown 2027 Tokyo tournament will still be held as planned, with qualifiers starting December 5, so the game will crown a final champion weeks before it closes. After service ends, the company will also stop publishing its content guidelines for streamers and creators and will no longer support use of Unite video and images.
Unite was the Pokémon MOBA, and it never quite became the Pokémon game
Developed by Tencent’s TiMi Studio Group and published by The Pokémon Company, Unite was a five-on-five lane game built on Pokémon evolution timers and Aeos energy goals rather than kills, and it crossed over to mobile with cross-progression within months of launch. It picked up a World Championship stage and a steady roster of new licenses, but it also drew years of criticism for pay-to-win held items and an upgrade economy that the subreddit was still arguing about on its last night as a game with a future. “How do you mess up a Pokémon MOBA this bad?” was the thread’s harshest take; “the real time battles with Pokémon were fun” was its kindest.
Players have until March 23 to play, and until November 12 to see exactly what the library preserves. We will update this story if The Pokémon Company says anything about why.
