Summary
The Pokemon Company announcedPokemon Champions, a multi-platform game that’s all about battling pocket monsters.Pokemonfans have immediately started comparing the newly unveiled title toPokemon Showdown.
Pokemon Showdownis an unofficial web-based battle simulatorforPokemongames. It has fostered a large community since its 2011 beginnings and remains a popular tool for players wanting to experiment with team compositions and strategies to this day.
Pokemon Showdown’s future might be in jeopardy now that the iconic franchise is getting what appears to be an official battle simulator,Pokemon Champions, which was announced during thePokemon Presents 2025 event. Apart from the Nintendo Switch, the newly unveiled game has also been confirmed for Android and iOS devices. The Pokemon Company hasn’t mentioned anything in the way of a release date or even a launch window, merely promising that more availability information will be shared at a later date.
Pokemon Champions Will Feature Pokemon Home Support
In the meantime, the game’s reveal trailer confirmed several key features, including full-fledged Pokemon Home support. Thanks to this inclusion,Pokemon Championswill allow players to import their pocket monsters from a variety of other games, includingPokemon Scarlet and Violet,Pokemon Legends: Arceus,Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, andPokemon GO. The Switch-exclusivePokemonLet’s Go, Pikachu and Eeveetitles are also on the list ofPokemon Home-supported games, as are all the 3DS entries in the franchise compatible withPokemon Bank.
Pokemon Champions Is the First Game From The Pokemon Works
Game Freak is confirmed to be overseeing the development ofPokemon Champions. However, the bulk of the work on the project is being handled by a new studio called The Pokemon Works, which was founded in 2024 and is located in the same Tokyo building as ILCA, the maker ofPokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl.Reports of The Pokemon Works developing a multiplayer gamehave been circulating online for a while now, with that rumor now being proven correct.
While TPC has yet to share concrete information about the game’s business model, the fact thatPokemon Championsis coming to mobile devices suggests that the title will be free-to-play. Its reveal trailer confirms that the game will feature a variety of the series' battling mechanics, such as Terastallizing and Mega Evolutions, in addition to hinting at cross-platform play. The latter will presumably be implemented via Nintendo Account integration, similar toPokemon Home. Based on what TPC revealed about the game so far,Pokemon Championswill potentially appeal to everyone fromPokemon StadiumtoPokemon Showdownfans.
