1. Creating Timeless Summer Memories for High School Students

Following the 2021 release of the app, “Pokémon UNITE,” we established the “National High School Pokémon UNITE Championship,” also known as “Pokémon UNITE Koshien,” in 2022.

As the first strategic team battle game in the history of the series, “Pokémon UNITE” features 5-on-5 matches. Players work together and maneuver their chosen buddy Pokémon to score points at the opposing team’s goal. Since the app’s launch, it has surpassed 150 million downloads worldwide.

The Pokémon Company and Nippon Television Network Corporation (Nippon TV) teamed up to create Pokémon UNITE Koshien as an eSports event. In this tournament, students from the same high school form teams to compete for the national title.

The team-based nature of “Pokémon UNITE” aligns quite well with the buoyant enthusiasm typical of high school-age students. A staff member at Nippon TV explains the inspiration behind the project:

“When people think of school clubs and tournaments, they often picture traditional sports. The true appeal of these events lies in competing as an athlete while sharing in the excitement of watching and cheering with others. We wanted to follow that tradition by creating a tournament where high school students could pour their hearts into competing alongside their friends.”

The tournament structure for Pokémon UNITE closely resembles the journey of high school baseball players toward the legendary Koshien Stadium, where the most prestigious high school baseball tournament in Japan is played. Teams must win regional qualifiers to advance to the national stage. By involving family members and alumni, we wanted to establish Pokémon UNITE as an eSports event rooted in the youth and regional culture.

A Pokémon staff member adds, “We realized that Pokémon had no official competition specifically for high school students. Also, high school is an age when many students tend to lose interest in Pokémon. We launched Pokémon UNITE Koshien as a brand-new stage where these players could truly be the protagonists.”

2. Overcoming Challenges to Launching the First Tournament

While the team felt passionate about setting up a dedicated eSports tournament for high schoolers, starting a national event from scratch presented significant hurdles.

The biggest challenge we faced was recruiting participating schools. During the first year, the tournament had no name recognition whatsoever. To address this, the management team took the initiative to identify schools that actively support eSports and reached out to each one individually via phone call to encourage participation.

The team also worked hard to boost recognition by requesting schools to display promotional posters, and by publicizing on TV and various social media. We spared no effort in getting the inaugural event off the ground.

These steady efforts paid off when the number of participating high schools for the first tournament exceeded our expectations. For students who had lost opportunities for extracurricular activities during the Covid-19 pandemic, Pokémon UNITE Koshien became an exhilarating new challenge.

To give the tournament a unique identity, we also refined the gameplay rules.

For example, while the Pokémon UNITE World Championships use a “draft pick” method, where teams cannot select specific Pokémon or those already chosen by the opposing team, we took a different approach.

We implemented a “blind pick” format for Pokémon UNITE Koshien, allowing every player to compete freely with their favorite buddy Pokémon.

3. An Event Worthy of the Koshien Name

When the first tournament finally arrived, the ongoing pandemic forced us to hold the event without a live audience. However, the tournament attracted great interest nonetheless, thanks to it being streamed live on the official YouTube channel.

We prioritized clarity on our YouTube broadcasts to ensure that everyone could easily follow the action. Anticipating that friends and parents would be watching, the team included expert commentary and on-screen explanations to supplement the gameplay. This allowed even viewers unfamiliar with eSports to understand the match developments and feel the excitement of the competition.

Fortunately, from the second year, we were able to welcome live spectators. The venue buzzed with energy as school friends, family members, and even teachers gathered to cheer on the competitors.

4. Cultivating the Next Generation of Star Players

Since then, Pokémon UNITE Koshien has grown steadily and begun to produce stars of its own.

One finalist from the 2023 tournament went on to place fourth in the Pokémon UNITE Division at that year’s “Pokémon World Championships.”* What’s more, a middle school student who attended the 2023 tournament to cheer on that same player successfully reached the finals of the 2024 competition.

The “Pokémon World Championships” is the official tournament to determine the world’s best players of Pokémon videogames, the Pokémon Trading Card Game, Pokémon UNITE, and Pokémon GO.

Reflecting on these events, a Nippon TV staff member noted, “It is incredibly dramatic to see a fan follow in the footsteps of a player they admire and stand on that same big stage just one year later. These stories prove that Pokémon UNITE Koshien is becoming a major venue for discovering and nurturing young talent.”

To further elevate the tournament, plans are now underway to release a documentary series that goes behind the scenes with the players.

Looking toward the future, one Pokémon staff member says, “Bygoing in-depth on the personalities of these players, we can help create new heroes and popular players. I hope the documentary will encourage more people to take an interest in Pokémon UNITE and help the players build dedicated fanbases of their own.”

Pokémon UNITE Koshien provides a space for students to write a passionate new page in their high school lives alongside Pokémon. We look forward to creating many more timeless summer memories for years to come.

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