Pokemon Unite has barely been with us for two weeks, and it's already making waves across the fanbase. However, as we found this week, this wasn't always for good reasons, as the new MOBA has faced accusations of being pay-to-win, while other players are calling for Zapdos to be nerfed.
No matter where you stand on the numerous debates taking place in the community, here's everything that's been happening on Pokemon Unite this week.
Related: Pokemon Unite Player Finds Out What The Score Messages Actually Mean
Pokemon Unite Is Labelled "Pay-To-Win"
Negative user reviews are pouring in on Metacritic, as many aren't happy with the microtransactions in Pokemon Unite. Specifically, what has people up in arms is the fact that held items are quicker to upgrade if you put real money in the game. Held Items give buffs such as improving your stats or regenerating HP. The abilities can be upgraded using Item Enhancers, which increase the effectiveness. Outside of the review bombing, another vocal critic was popular YouTuber James Stephanie Sterling, who labelled the use as "predatory".
Even those who do not feel as if the game is pay-to-win are still unhappy with the microtransactions, such as our own Cian Maher, who wrote about them this week.
TiMi Studio Won't Say Gay Rights
As many companies and brands often are, someone asked the account for Timi Studio Group – the developer of Pokemon Unite – to say "gay rights". While the person running the account may not be aware that this is a popular request online, their response was still concerning, as they said, "why? rights of heterosexual players are equally important". This reply seemed to suggest that the concept of supporting LGBTQ+ rights is wrong, because it keeps out a group of people who are not experiencing bigotry on the basis of their sexuality – or straight up denied equal rights in far too many places around the world.
This exchange got The Pokemon Company's attention, who told TheGamer: "These statements do not align with our beliefs, culture, or values and are fundamentally wrong. We’re working with our external partner to address the situation."
To Nerf, Or Not To Nerf
Let's be real – Zapdos can only be the best or worst part of a round of Pokemon Unite. Nothing in between.
This week, players can't decide whether or not the legendary electric bird needs to be nerfed. Well, not nerfed as in easier to kill, the exact opposite in fact. When you take down Zapdos, your team gets 110 points, and the enemy goal is left temporarily vulnerable, making scoring those goals almost guaranteed. Not to mention, this is when there's a point multiplier for goals, so it's more like 220 points. Many who have been on the receiving end of a Zapdos defeat want to see these effects toned down, either by halving the amount of points given, or by making it so goals are still protected. However, some want Zapdos left the way it is, believing that in its current state, it's the perfect comeback feature for a losing team.
TheGamer's Eric Switzer is among those calling for a change, labelling the mechanic a "disaster".
The First Patch, And Bad News Gengar Mains
Pokemon Unite received its first patch this week, much to (most of) the community's delight. Surprising no one, Gengar was nerfed, specifically going after the move "hex", which allowed the Pokemon to deal a large amount of damage and disappear before being punished. The devs are obviously paying attention, because this OP strat didn't last long at all.
So, Uh, You've Probably Been Playing Against Bots
Felt like you've had a great week on this new MOBA? Been tearing through the competition, match after match, and left feeling like the sky's the limit? Yeah, me too. That is, at least until it turned out a load of matches are actually against bots.
For some reason, despite the player base seemingly being in a healthy place, the devs are perhaps eager to make sure the wait time for a match isn't longer than four seconds. Often, entire enemy teams are replaced by bots, and not sophisticated ones at that. All they do is attack the nearest enemy and flee when their health gets too low. At the start of a match, all you have to do is flip all the opposing team's trainer cards over. If they've all got an orange background and a very zoomed in picture of the trainer, then they're a bot.
Next: TheGamer's Best Features Of The Week: Ariana Grande, Star Wars Canon, And The New Switch
