Pokémon UNITE players voice ongoing frustrations with state of game: ‘The community can’t keep carrying the game alone forever’

Almost two years later, there is still very scarce communication from the developers.

Screengrab via The Pokémon Company/TiMi Studios

Pokémon UNITE players have joined together on Reddit today to bring their thoughts on the game and its various features into one place in the hope that it will be seen by the developer, TiMi Studios.

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Between excessive power creep, untouched balancing issues, and a constant emphasis on purchasing premium content, many players believe the MOBA has reached its lowest point since its release in 2021, with little signs of recovery thanks to no communication.

“They have an active and eager community to work with and have the potential to create a lasting game that continuously grows with the community and fandom,” wrote u/FroggyMtnBreakdown in the thread. “The community can’t keep carrying the game alone forever.”

For months, players across social media have complained openly about the state of Pokémon UNITE’s second playable Legendary Pokémon, Zacian. With immense bulk, access to multiple forms of burst damage, and various ways to heal itself, Zacian has wreaked havoc across normal and ranked play since its release this past February—only made worse with the pairing of it and Comfey, who can freely sit upon Zacian to make it even more powerful.

Players have also directly called out TiMi for seemingly buffing Pokémon solely when they have new Holowear available for purchase, attempting to make the cosmetics more enticing as they’ll be for Pokémon that can perform better than others. While it’s not confirmed that this practice is done by the company, it has been seen before with the infamous bundle-only release of Zoroark and the recent Holowear for Glaceon.

“People do not want overpowered Pokémon just because some Holowear is coming,” wrote u/jeanpaulbeaubier. “We want ALL Pokémon to be viable and balanced.”

Outside of the Pokémon themselves, many players are bringing attention to the ongoing issues plaguing the stability of the game and its UI, all of which are attributing to a lesser-quality gameplay experience. Additionally, fans are remaining steadfast about the state of matchmaking, where players in the highest ranked tiers can be matched with lower-tiered players and ultimately create unfavorable, one-sided games.

Yet due to the lack of communication from the developers and infrequent balance patches, many fear the game will continue to go downhill in the near future—with new Pokémon and Holowear releases continuing to attempt to mitigate the damage.

Author
Image of Ethan Garcia
Ethan Garcia
Ethan Garcia is a freelance writer for Dot Esports, having been part of the company for three years. He has a Bachelor of Arts in Magazine Journalism from Syracuse University and specializes particularly in coverage of League of Legends, various Nintendo IPs, and beyond.