The Pokémon Company and TiMi Studio Group have announced the permanent shutdown of Pokémon Unite. Servers for the free-to-play MOBA on Nintendo Switch and mobile platforms will go offline on March 23, 2027, at 2:00 AM Kyiv time. The game will conclude its lifecycle after nearly six years of support following its original release in July 2021.
In light of the announcement, the sale of the in-game currency Aeos Gems, as well as new UNITE Club memberships and their auto-renewals, have been completely suspended starting October 27. The developers noted that players can spend their remaining gems and use active membership benefits right up until the day the project closes.
A farewell update featuring a special in-game event is scheduled for November 12. This will allow users to obtain previously released Unite licenses and Holowear customization items. Additionally, a "Library" feature will be introduced, allowing players to save their match history, acquired licenses, and other content for local viewing after the servers go down. This data must be downloaded in advance, as it will be impossible to access or transfer to a new device after March 23, 2027. Once the game shuts down, any attempts to log in or matchmake will be blocked, and the project's video and image usage guidelines will no longer be in effect.
Despite the shutdown, the game's esports ecosystem will conclude with a major tournament, the Pokémon UNITE Aeos Crown 2027 Tokyo. Regional online qualifiers will begin on December 5, 2026. They will be held in the All-Star Draft format, which prevents a Pokémon from being picked more than once in the same match.
The offline finals will take place in Tokyo on March 20 and 21, 2027—just two days before the servers are completely shut down. Competing for the final championship title will be 31 regional qualifier winners alongside the reigning 2026 world champions, ZETA DIVISION.
The shutdown news comes just a month after Pokémon Unite debuted as an official medal event at the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, which featured 58 players from 10 countries. However, signs of the game's lifecycle ending appeared as early as July, when The Pokémon Company removed the discipline from the official 2027 Pokémon World Championships, replacing it with the farewell tournament in Tokyo.
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