Pokémon Unite is shutting down after six years of MOBA mayhem

It's a sad day for MOBA fans, as Pokémon Unite has announced that it is ending service nearly six years after its initial launch on Nintendo Switch. This also follows the multiplayer game's final appearance as part of the Pokémon Championship series this August in San Francisco. Cast your mind back to July 2021. We're still in the middle of a global pandemic, and everyone you know has a Nintendo Switch thanks to Animal Crossing's success, and then Pokémon and TiMi Studios drop a free multiplayer game for you and your friends to check out. Of course, it's wildly popular. Pokémon Unite was the franchise's first foray into the MOBA genre, and it brought the lane-based gameplay to a new audience via the Switch. It was also primed to become Pokémon's next massive esport, as Pokkén Tournament DX held its final World Championship just one year later. Sadly, Pokémon Unite's time is running out, with End of Service announced for March 23, 2027. As of today, October 27, 2026, you can no longer purchase Aeos gems or new Unite Club memberships, and any existing memberships will not auto-renew. Many fans on X are saying that they "saw this coming from a mile away," as the game hasn't added any new Holowear in a while and recently made a bunch of legendary Pokémon playable for the first time, but that doesn't make the news any less sad.