- The Pokémon World Championships 2024 will commence on August 16th in Honolulu, Hawaii
- Alongside main series games and TCG, Pokémon Go and Pokémon Unite will also be featured
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The Pokémon World Championships 2024 (Worlds) are set to kick off in Honolulu, Hawaii tomorrow, August 16th, with fans from across the globe preparing to compete in various titles.
This year’s event boasts a prize pool exceeding $2 million, the largest in the history of Pokémon’s Championship series, dispersed among various games including Switch titles, trading cards, and even mobile games.
Over the course of three days, the tournament will feature intense competitions in Niantic’s Pokémon Go and TiMi Studio Group’s Pokémon Unite, with victors in each category taking home $20,000.
Mobile Gaming Takes Center Stage
2024 marks the third year of inclusion for Go and Unite at Worlds, with both games being added shortly after the release of Unite – during the 2022 event. This year, the winning Unite team will share a prize pool of $100,000 in the 5v5 team-based game.
As a cross-platform title, Unite players will compete on iOS, Android, and Nintendo Switch. Qualifiers commenced in February, with top MOBA players from around the world vying for a spot at the World Championships.
To secure an invitation to Worlds for Pokémon Go, players were required to construct a formidable tournament-legal team and achieve a specific threshold of Championship Points in a timely manner – earned through designated events, regional championships, international championships, and cups.
During the World Championships, competitors must utilize a smartphone provided by the organizer.
Following the Great League format, battles revolve around optimizing Fast Attacks and Charged Attacks by swiftly tapping opponents and completing mini-challenges to defeat rivals.
Players will engage in best-of-three matches through double-elimination brackets, with the Winners Finals, Losers Finals, and Grand Finals being best of five.
Aloha, Worlds!
Although mobile competitions have become a staple at Worlds over the past three years, their presence wasn’t always guaranteed. It took six years for Pokémon Go to be included in the lineup, forcing geolocation enthusiasts to observe from the sidelines or explore other Pokémon titles.
Now firmly integrated, both titles are expected to have a lasting presence, with Pokémon Go likely to outlast future main-series titles Scarlet and Violet, especially with the anticipated arrival of the Nintendo Switch successor.
In honor of Go’s participation at Worlds this year, Niantic intends to distribute Timed Research codes via livestreams during the competition, encouraging even the more casual players to tune in. Rewards will include encounters with rare Pokémon and an increased chance of encountering Shiny Pokémon.
Players will also have the opportunity to outfit their avatars in Worlds-themed apparel, including a Hawaiian-inspired snorkeling Pikachu.
