Nintendo Switch Pokemon Game Announced to Shut Down Forever in 2027
A Pokemon game on Nintendo Switch platforms has been announced today to be shutting down for good in early 2027. While the mainline Pokemon series is primarily what most fans of the franchise are focused on, The Pokemon Company has also released countless spin-offs over the years as well. Since the arrival of the Switch, many of these Pokemon spin-offs have even been free-to-play, giving fans the ability to download and check out various experiences without having to pay anything. Sadly, one of the most prominent free-to-play Pokemon games in this regard will soon be reaching the end of its life.
In a new announcement on its official website today, The Pokemon Company revealed that it will be shuttering Pokemon Unite next year. Originally released on Nintendo Switch in 2021 (and later on mobile platforms), Pokemon Unite is a unique take on the MOBA genre that features a number of playable Pokemon characters. Since its arrival, The Pokemon Company has continued to release frequent updates and new characters for players to control, with the game also amassing hundreds of millions of downloads. Despite this, the plug is now being pulled on Pokemon Unite, with its final date of availability planned for late March 2027.
“Thank you for continuing to enjoy Pokemon Unite. We regret to inform you that service for Pokemon Unite will end on Tuesday, March 23, 2027,” the announcement read. “To express our thanks to all Trainers, we’ll be holding a special event until service ends. We hope you continue to enjoy Pokemon Unite until the final day of service. “
As part of this imminent shutdown, The Pokemon Company announced that it will no longer be selling any in-game currency for players to purchase within Pokemon Unite. It will also be launching a new event in November that will allow players to snag various cosmetics for their character. Once this shutdown comes to pass, online matches in Pokemon Unite will no longer be possible, but there will still be a practice option available for those who still want to test their Pokemon’s moves.
As mentioned, Pokemon Unite ended up being downloaded across Switch and mobile platforms over 200 million times, which makes this shutdown a pretty surprising one. Despite having so many check out Unite, however, the game likely wasn’t performing to the level that The Pokemon Company had hoped. As a result, it’s now choosing to end the game altogether to not dedicate any further resources to it in the future.
How do you feel about Pokemon Unite being shut down? Does this move make sense to you, or do you find it quite surprising? Be sure to let me know for yourself down in the comments section.