The Pokemon Unite Backlash Was Predictable (And Entirely Justified)

The Pokemon Company announced a new game today: Pokemon Unite.
The reveal happened during an 11-minute live stream dedicated exclusively to the new title.
Many fans are annoyed about the new game, mainly because of how it was so ridiculously overhyped.

Today’s Pokemon Presents live stream did not go the way publisher Nintendo had hoped. It’s not that the Pokemon Unite announcement was terrible. It’s just that fans were expecting something… more.

The concept of a MOBA game with crossplay between mobile platforms and the Nintendo Switch is a pretty neat idea. But it still left fans noticeably annoyed.

And honestly, it’s not hard to see why.

Pokemon Unite Was Not What People Were Expecting

People on Twitter made it clear they were more annoyed about the way the announcement was delivered than about the game itself. | Source: Twitter

This Pokemon Presents event generated enormous hype. All indications were that it would unveil a massive project to excite even the most curmudgeonly members of the Pokemon fanbase.

In short, expectations ran high because the franchise’s cheerleaders made them run high.

So what did Nintendo and the Pokemon Company do? They announced a free-to-start mobile game, with the added twist that it was compatible with the Switch console too.

That’s not what fans were expecting. And it really ticked them off.

To be clear, it doesn’t seem like too many folks are upset about Unite itself. They’re just annoyed at the circumstances surrounding its unveiling.

Scheduling an entire 11-minute presentation for a mobile game was already a bit much. Plus, there’s the fact that Nintendo just said they’d be taking a step back from mobile gaming.

Nintendo Needs to Get Better at Managing Expectations

Realistically, Pokemon Unite should have been a footnote on a previous live stream. This 58-second promo would have been sufficient:

Having an entire 11-minute presentation for a single mobile game was an ill-conceived move. Especially considering the wider context.

Nintendo wasn’t supposed to be doing mobile games. So here’s a mobile game. This is absolute insanity.

As for Pokemon Unite itself, it looks like it could be fun. We simply don’t know enough yet (which is a bit hilarious since they spent the entire 11-minute live stream hyping it up).

Tencent partnering with Nintendo also annoyed some people. But that backlash was already baked in. This particular company doesn’t have an amazing reputation.

And that probably explains the dislike ratio on YouTube.