The official website for the game “Pokémon UNITE” announced on October 27 that the service will terminate on March 23, 2027, at 9:00 AM JST. Both the Nintendo Switch and smartphone versions are affected. The reason for the termination has not been disclosed.
“Pokémon UNITE” is a free-to-play team strategy battle game that launched on Nintendo Switch on July 21, 2021. Players divide into teams of five, control Pokémon, and cooperate with teammates to achieve victory.
Following the announcement of the service termination, expressions of shock and sadness have spread across X (formerly Twitter). Within hours of the announcement, the official account's post garnered approximately 33,000 likes and 20,000 reposts, with views exceeding 4.5 million. Comments lamenting the sudden news poured in, including “Don't go,” “Tell me it's a lie,” and “My youth…”
Coinciding with the service termination, sales of in-game currency “Gems” and new subscriptions/automatic renewals for the monthly service “UNITE Membership” ceased on October 27 at 2:00 PM JST. Unused paid Gems will be eligible for refunds after the service ends, but players are advised not to delete the app or related data until the refund process is complete, as applications must be made via a dedicated in-game form.
