The announcement of end of service for Pokémon Unite is something that I have a hard time getting over - and in fact, so is the case for playing the game. As such, I want to discuss a few things that the game could stand to have included if it's able to survive, which a certain circle would call it "what could have been". Actually, there are many such things, but for the current instance, I want to keep the discussion to one topic, which would be Unite Licenses, perhaps the most essential part of the game that is equivalent to "heroes" in other MOBA games.
For that, it's clear that many Pokémon didn't make it as one: different forms (like the Kanto form of Raichu, in contrast to the Alolan form, which did make it), many first partners from generations in the "middle" (Serperior, Infernape, and Swampert come to light), and species of certain kinds (Zekrom - Legendary, Jirachi - Mythical, Nihilego - Ultra Beast) are several examples among others. If the game survived a little longer, they might have stood a chance at being added, but then they'll also increase the game's size... which poses other problems for later discussion.
As of the end of service announcement, the total number of Unite Licenses in the game comes to 102, which is a pretty great number already, but it's still a little low. Another MOBA game has around 120 heroes, and if that is taken as the minimum baseline, then Pokémon Unite somewhat falls short of that. It may or may not have had any hope of achieving 150 or so, and 170 and up would have been a wild thing going for it. Parity of selection with other games of the genre is not necessarily achievable, but it is helpful as a benchmark for what is in and what isn't.
It is also necessary to discuss how the Unite Licenses can and should be obtained. If it's insisted that players pay for Unite Licenses, then a "tiered pricing" structure could have been developed with common Pokémon priced less and rarer ones priced more, as an example. As a partial consequence, the previous Aeos Coin system could also have been kept for other exchanges that don't merit real money payment, at least in significant amounts, and the License Journey system wouldn't have become a forced necessity with its quirks that became evident in different ways.
Now that end of service has been planned for Pokémon Unite, there is a clear call for making a retrospective of its various aspects, of which Unite Licenses are one of those aspects, and a vital one at that since it's a MOBA game. Though the composition of the aspect has been good up to the game's eventual demise, it is clear that some things are and have been lacking in that regard, for which improvements should have been made while things were going well. At this point, only conjectures remain as the challenging game heads to a challenging demise.
One year ago: TCGP: Parading Mega on the Rise
Two years ago: Conforming to and Deviating from Terms
Three years ago: The GS Ball That (Never) Was
Four years ago: Cosplay: 5USUME! Spirit of the Winter - JMS 5th Anniversary
Five years ago: Quickies: Yawning Away Matters
Six years ago: The Flying Cup of GBL
Seven years ago: Performance Critique: Project "Untitled" J-Karaoke
Eight years ago: Let's Rule the World, Together
Nine years ago: Triplets and Pairs
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