Happy 2nd Anniversary, Trainers!

Thanks to the support of players like you, we will be celebrating Pokémon UNITE’s 2nd Anniversary on July 21 with events, items, and new Unite licenses for you to try. We couldn’t have this celebration without you, and we thank you for your continued support.

We recently announced that Mewtwo will be coming to Aeos Island to join the competition, which we feel is a perfect way to celebrate our 2nd Anniversary. We can’t wait to tell you all about it...so let’s do that right now!

Mewtwo

Mewtwo arrives on Aeos Island alongside the return of Mega Evolution, which debuted in the Pokémon X and Pokémon Y games. In a unique twist, Mewtwo will have two different Unite licenses—Unite License X: Mewtwo and Unite License Y: Mewtwo. Both Mega Evolutions use basic attacks as the cornerstone of their battle strategies, with Mega Mewtwo X focusing on melee attacks in a one-on-one setting and Mega Mewtwo Y focusing on ranged attacks and mobility.

Mewtwo can fill its Mega gauge by using basic attacks and moves. Once the gauge is full, Mewtwo will Mega Evolve, which changes its basic attacks and increases its stats for a set time before it changes back to Mewtwo. Expect to Mega Evolve several times per match!

We’re aiming for Mewtwo to be easy for beginners to use. We’ve done this by giving it a simple move set, but some moves will require good timing to bring out their full potential—meaning players will have room to show off their skills. We look forward to seeing how players affect the tide of battle with Mewtwo!

Legendary Pokémon

First, we would like to acknowledge that Zacian was excessively strong at release and in the following months. Our goal with Zacian was to tune it over time to reach the state it is currently in. However, we recognize that our communication on the subject was limited, and that the time it spent overpowered was prolonged. We would like to explain our design philosophy behind Legendary Pokémon moving forward and detail steps we will be taking to improve their arrival on Aeos Island.

With the implementation of both Zacian and Mewtwo, we would like to continue gradually increasing the number of Legendary Pokémon that are available in Pokémon UNITE. We believe that Legendary Pokémon are an integral part of any game that contains Pokémon battles, which are indeed central to Pokémon UNITE’s unique format.

Since its release, Pokémon UNITE has placed great importance on expressing the personality of each Pokémon through their gameplay mechanics. As such, we are designing Legendary Pokémon to become the leaders of their respective teams, conveying their strength through their capabilities while giving them weaknesses in exchange for that strength. We modeled this concept by making Zacian’s Rusted Sword take up one of its three held item slots, and we will be exploring opportunities to refine this concept even further in the future while balancing Pokémon UNITE’s unique and evolving style of competitive play.

As a result of player feedback, moving forward we’ll be releasing all Pokémon (including Legendary Pokémon) for public testing in regions that use the Public Test server. Our goal is to make appropriate adjustments before each Pokémon’s release in the Global version to ensure all are fairly balanced.

In-Game Competitions

We’d like to thank everyone for their participation in our two previous test competitions. Next, we are planning to hold regular in-game tournaments. These tournaments will feature draft pick, which allows players to take turns selecting Pokémon for their teams as well as ban specific Pokémon for the match. We hope that it will be a way for Trainers to enjoy highly competitive matches more easily.

The Battle Continues

We’ve seen a lot of feedback from Trainers these past few months. We want you to know that we are taking it all in and are continuing to work hard to meet everyone’s expectations. We invite you to take part in our official Pokémon Community Forums, where you can not only leave your feedback directly but also interact with like-minded fans of Pokémon and Pokémon UNITE.

We also want to let you know that the Pokémon World Championships are happening very soon! Last year’s competition was fierce and fun, with BLVKHVND pulling ahead of Noun Esports to become the very first Pokémon UNITE World Champions. Be sure to tune in once again to the Pokémon UNITE Twitch channel starting August 10 at 5:00 p.m. PDT to find out who will secure this year’s World Championships trophy. We’re cheering on these talented players, and so should you!

Once again, we want to thank everyone for their continued support of Pokémon UNITE. We’re looking forward to sharing what’s coming up in year three!

Sincerely,

The UNITE Team