Pokémon fans were shocked when Pokémon Champions was revealed during the recent Pokémon Presents, immediately starting conversations about what changes it could bring to the esports scene.
The 2025 Pokémon Presents, an annual presentation held on Pokémon Day, had fans expecting more information about the upcoming Legends Z-A, a narrative-focused game set in the Kalos Region. However, Pokémon Champions stole the spotlight for many being a new video game for the Nintendo Switch and mobile devices that is focused solely on multiplayer battles.
The other relevant news from the reveal trailer was the game’s development process, its interoperability in the Pokémon ecosystem, and its role in the Pokémon competitive scene. The game is being made by The Pokémon Works, a new joint venture between The Pokémon Company and ILCA, makers of the Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl remakes.
Pokémon Champions will also be compatible with Pokémon Home, the cross-platform hub where trainers can store their Pokémon from across all franchises, including Pokémon GO. Thanks to this integration, there’s going to be battles between different generations of Pokémons and different generational gimmicks like Dynamax, Mega Evolutions and Terastalization.
All of this news immediately sparked a debate in the competitive Pokémon community focused on a single question: is Pokémon Champions going to replace Scarlet and Violet to become the undying platform for competitive battles?
What Pros Want From Pokémon Champions
Before getting to what the pros think and want, it’s important to underline the steady growth in popularity and trainer numbers that Pokémon esports has experienced since the pandemic ended, something that The Pokémon Company is investing a lot into not just in marketing.
With the scene growing, how will Pokémon Champions fit into the competitive scene? Luca Ceribelli, reigning videogame (VG) world champion after defeating Yuta Ishigaki at the Honolulu Worlds, told Esports Insider that this game ‘not only will make the ecosystem more accessible through mobile integration, but could really consolidate the ecosystem’s growth.’
Francesco Pardini, Italian national champion in 2011 and 2015 and founder of Team Aqua, one of Europe’s most prominent esports clubs dedicated to competitive Pokémon, shared Ceribelli’s enthusiasm.
“Champions completely gobbled up all my hype and attention since the announcement. There isn’t anything I’m waiting for more in the Pokémon sphere at the moment. This game could be a turning point for the competitive scene, something we’ve been waiting for for many, many years and that can help spread this esport even more.”
The two pros also agree that the best route for the game would be to become the competitive hub for everything PvP, leaving the so-called mainline games (the ones that bring along a new generation of Pokémon like Scarlet and Violet or Sword and Shield) to be just narrative adventures focused on exploring without any PvP mechanics.
“One of the most boring things in the Pokémon ecosystem at the moment,” Ceribelli continued, “is grinding the mainline games to get the Pokémon you need for your team. A dichotomy between the competitive game and the exploration ones would allow Game Freak to focus on what makes the series great.”
Having a place where teams can be built without the grind could be one of the other main pull factors of Champions. This would mean no more spending time and in-game resources to change the parameters of a Pokémons like its nature or its statistics, the subtleties that make a winning team and that pros spend weeks refining before every tournament.
“Easily creating one’s team at the push of a button, with custom stats and moves, would be a godsend,” Pardini added, “as right now to change a Pokémon’s single parameter takes something like half an hour of grind on the mainline games. Having an editor to work on a team and get back to testing would be awesome. I know it’s far-fetched, but it would be ideal. Even if a system like this is not happening, a competitive hub where most of the Pokémon from the mainline games can battle each other would be a big improvement on the current state of things.”
According to the comments of many professionals in the scene, the place where the entire competitive scene resides should also be constantly updated and not directly in the hands of Game Freak. This part is vital for many competitive players because the Japanese developer has been heavily criticized for its slow reactions to very dominant strategies and monsters that leave the scene unbalanced and, generally, for its lack of support for the competitive community.
Both pros showed not just interest but proper excitement when speaking about the fact that Pokémon Champions will bring fully fledged Pokémon battles to mobile. When asked if the opening to the platform was a good idea, Ceribelli replied with an ecstatic ‘absolutely!’
Pardini went even further: “We already have proof that the move to mobile is a good one thanks to Pokémon Pocket, the smartphone version of the Pokémon Trading Card Game.
“It will make it so that not only the Pokémon experience becomes available while commuting and on the go, but it will bring into the competitive sphere a younger generation of fans that maybe do not have access to the Nintendo Switch. Being cross-platform is paramount nowadays, and the opportunity to go cross-generation with the different mechanics (after a nerf to Dynamax, obviously) would birth a lot of new opportunities not only for the player but for the spectators who will have access to a much more spectacular show.”
A lot of expectations are now resting on Pokémon Champions’ shoulders. The esports scene has been begging for something like this for years, and it seems many wishes will be granted. When it comes out, the game will be compatible with the rest of the Pokémon ecosystem, will have mechanics from different generations, will not be in the hands of Game Freak, and will be more accessible than ever. These are all positives in the eyes of the competitive scene.
The (Poké) ball is the Pokémon Works’ court now, and only a full release will answer all of the pros’ and the fans’ questions.
