The eagerly anticipated iOS game Pokémon Masters has arrived in the App Store a few hours ahead of schedule.
Having racked up more than 5 million preorders, the real-time Pokémon battle game is now ready for gamers everywhere. Complete with classic trainers like Misty and Brock.
Bring back classic trainers
Pokémon Masters focuses on real-time Pokémon battles, with teams of classic trainers taking part in three-on-three battles. These battles are set on the all-new island of Pasio.
The game is being developed by DeNA, the same company behind the majority of Nintendo’s mobile games. Its App Store description notes that players can:
“Form a team with three Trainers and their Pokémon to target your opponents’ weaknesses and deal big damage!
Enjoy co-op play with friends all around the world! In co-op play, three players team up for fun, exciting battles! Work together to emerge victorious!”
Pokémon Masters: Gotta catch ’em all
We weren’t originally expecting Pokémon Masters to launch until 2020. However, the Pokémon Company moved the launch date forward to August 29, 2019.
The big question is whether it will be able to come close to replicating the massive success of Pokémon Go. When it launched in 2016, Pokémon Go was downloaded more than 500 million times in only its first few months. The breakthrough AR game ultimately raked in almost $1 billion in just its first half-year.
That seems an incredibly high benchmark to try and hit with Pokémon Masters. Still, with massive numbers of Pokémon fans around the world — and the game’s nod to classic Pokélore in the form of old trainers — this could be a winner.
Source: App Store
