Pokemon Unite was one of the first games to make an appearance at The Pokemon Company’s latest Pokemon Presents event this week, and it was confirmed there that the game would be getting a new in-game event itself to commemorate the anniversary of the MOBA. This event features a whole lot of Pikachu and will actually be running for close to an entire month to give people plenty of time to take part. It comes alongside a new Pokemon release, too, though people won’t be able to play that new character in this event.
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That’s because this event isn’t just a lot of Pikachu โ it’s all Pikachu, all the time. It’s aptly called “Pika Party,” and as the presenters said during this week’s Pokemon stream, you can only play as Pikachu if you’re taking part in Pika Party.
“In this special type of quick battle, in celebration of our first anniversary, all Pokemon on the field, both wild and players, are Pikachu,” the Pokemon Unite presenters explained during the event. “We hope you join in the festivities.”
It looks like even the center of the map which typically houses Legendary Pokemon to be defeated in exchange for rewards will instead play host to a giant Pikachu similar to some of the raids we’ve seen in past Pokemon games.
The event is set to get underway on Wednesday at 5 p.m. PT and will be going on for a while. Nintendo and The Pokemon Company said this week that the event will run from now until August 3rd, so expect to see lots of people playing Pikachu during that time.
But for those who want something far different from Pikachu, you’ve got Buzzwole. The new Bug and Fighting-Type Pokemon who doubles as an Ultra Beast is scheduled to arrive in Pokemon Unite at the same time as the Pika Party event. The trailer above was released prior to this Pokemon Presents event to show off more of the Pokemon’s moves which include grappling and tossing opponents around the arena.
Both the new Pokemon Unite event and Buzzwole will be available in the game later on Wednesday.