The Future of Pokémon VGC is Mobile - What We Know About Pokémon Champions
Years of begging and hoping have finally paid off, with The Pokémon Company officially announcing a somewhat comprehensive battling simulator with online play—Pokémon Champions.
Releasing on Nintendo Switch and mobile devices, Pokémon Champions is a new type of game being developed by multiple Pokémon teams. It takes elements of every type of Pokémon battle from previous games and brings them together in a new way with the goal of getting “more players than ever before” to enjoy core Pokémon battles.
What is Pokémon Champions? Pokémon’s New Battle Simulator Game
Pokémon Champions is a game entirely focused on battling Pokémon, almost like an official version of Pokémon Showdown that allows players to use the Pokémon they have trained across multiple games to battle online with other trainers.
The Pokémon Company didn’t confirm too much about Pokémon Champions, but it appears the main appeal for the game is to get more players into the core battle systems of the series, potentially focusing on double battles and the VGC format as Pokémon esports continues to grow.
Pokémon Champions will connect with Pokémon HOME, allowing players to use Pokémon from previous Pokémon titles that are transferred in, such as Pokémon Go or Pokémon Scarlet and Violet on either the mobile or Switch versions of the new game. There will likely be some limitations and various formats to choose from, though it does appear TPC wants to use Champions as a way to include Pokémon not currently available on the Switch titles—meaning the whole Pokédex could be included.
TPC also mentioned that Champions will be available on the Switch family of systems. This means it should be playable as soon as it launches on Switch 2.
As of now, it Pokémon Champions does not have a release date. TPC has only told players to stay tuned for more information later, likely closer to release or potential early testing for online battles.
Pokémon Champions Competitive Impact and Esports Potential
This is potentially the biggest announcement ever for competitive Pokémon, as TPC is clearly using Pokémon Champions as an opportunity to introduce the more competitive side of Pokémon to a larger number of players across platforms.
Before this app, players would be limited to only using Pokémon available in specific games and whatever features are available in said titles when battling. At a glance, this will not be the case for at least some formats in Champions, as Mega Evolution, Terastalization, and more were shown off in the brief trailer.
Depending on how heavily supported Champions is, we could see it become a staple of the competitive Pokémon scene. It likely won’t replace VGC in future Pokémon titles, but it does allow for TPC to have a constantly updating competitive simulator that is usable between main releases, such as Legends: Z-A, which likely won’t have a focus on online battles.
Related Article: TPC Finally Addresses Pokémon TCG Prismatic Evolutions Shortages
Champions might even become its own separate VGC format and appear at Play! Pokémon events once it releases. The possibilities for something like this are endless, and the community is already hyped up for more official competitive support.
Will TPC Shut Down Pokemon Showdown
Champions appears to be a clear competitor to the biggest fan project in the Pokemon world, Showdown. This browser-based client allows players to simulate Pokemon battles, build teams, and climb a ranked ladder in a variety of formats. The existence of Showdown has directly led to many of the biggest VGC fans and players getting more involved in the scene as it removes the barriers to participating in VGC such as spending hours collecting and perfectly training the ideal Pokemon to test out a team.
TPC could have shut down Showdown at any time and has never made a move to do so that we know of, but with an official client that theoretically offers the same experience, and Nintendo's history of aggressively targeting fan projects, the future of Showdown is less certain than ever before.
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