The Pokémon franchise is heading back to live action, but the latest project has caught many fans by surprise.
A new live-action drama based on Pokémon Unite has been announced as part of the mobile game’s fifth anniversary celebrations, although the reveal has received a mixed response from the gaming community.
Unlike 2019’s successful Detective Pikachu film, the upcoming production will not adapt an existing Pokémon anime storyline or any of the mainline video games.
Instead, the series will be inspired by Pokémon Unite, the free-to-play multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) game developed by TiMi Studio Group and co-published by Tencent Games and The Pokémon Company.
According to the announcement, the drama will feature an entirely original story rather than retelling events from the game.
Because Pokémon Unite focuses primarily on online competitive battles and contains very little narrative, it remains unclear whether the series will be set inside the Pokémon universe or follow real-world players competing in the game.
Some fans have even speculated that Pokémon themselves may only appear during gameplay scenes if the story centres on esports competitors.
The project has also been described as a “short drama”, suggesting it will feature brief episodes and a relatively small number of instalments.
Details about the cast, storyline and release schedule have yet to be revealed.
The announcement has sparked divided reactions online, with some fans questioning why the project is being made instead of improvements being made to the game itself.
Others criticised the decision by suggesting the developers should focus on gameplay updates before expanding into television.
However, some players welcomed the announcement, saying they were excited to see a fresh take on the Pokémon universe and were eager to find out who would be cast in the series.
Several humorous comments also surfaced on social media, with one user joking that the drama should include scenes featuring the game’s in-app microtransactions.
While no official premiere date has been announced, many expect the live-action drama to debut around September 22, when Pokémon Unite celebrates its fifth anniversary.
