The Pokemon Company’s take on 5v5 MOBA action on mobile, Pokemon UNITE, is shutting down in two countries, the publisher has announced. Here are the regions where the game is being shut down, and the reason behind this decision.
Image Credits: The Pokemon Company
In a blog post on the official Pokemon UNITE website, the company announced that the game would be ending services in Belgium and the Netherlands on Nov. 30, 2025.
Additionally, the publisher announced that in-game items won’t be available for purchase from Oct. 31, 2024. If you are in one of these countries and want to purchase some Aeos Gems or Subscriptions for the next year, now’s the time to do it.
Unfortunately, The Pokemon Company didn’t announce any reason for this decision and apologized to players.
“We’d like to thank our players in Belgium and Netherlands for their support, and we apologize for any inconvenience.”
However, this change is likely due to loot boxes being banned in Belgium because the country classifies them as gambling. While the Netherlands hasn’t banned loot boxes, the county is pursuing one, per a report by the Games Industry Biz.
Therefore, The Pokemon Company has decided to shut down the game in these two regions to comply with the ban. It’s unlikely that any more regions would follow suit, as this relates to government regulation and doesn’t mean that the game is dying.
Pokemon UNITE was announced back in 2020 for Android, iOS, and Nintendo Switch. The game has a unique take on the MOBA genre, instead employing 10-minute battles with 5 players each. While it might have a more casual gameplay experience, the game has been able to create an esports ecosystem.
The Pokemon UNITE World Championship 2024 happened on Aug. 16 and 17 with a prize pool of $500,000 on the line. Japan’s FENNEL emerged as the champion in Honolulu, Hawaii.
LOL
CS2
Dota 2
Valorant
Fortnite
Call of Duty
Mobile Games
Gaming
