TiMi Studio is performing yet another long session of maintenance for Pokémon UNITE, which will keep players from accessing the game in any form for nearly 10 hours.
Starting at 3pm CT on Dec. 8, players will be unable to participate in matches, browse the shops, or even enter the menus of UNITE until the maintenance period concludes at 2am CT.
This extended downtime is being used to ensure all of UNITE’s online functionality is in top shape ahead of the holiday season, when more players will likely be online and playing the game across both Nintendo Switch and mobile. It also will allow the developers to ensure the game’s newest Pokémon, Tsareena, is pushed live globally on Dec. 9 with minimal issues or potential bugs.
Tsareena is set to join UNITE’s roster once that maintenance period concludes, and will be free to all players for a limited time as part of a “commemorative update gift” special campaign.
Because this downtime is going to take such a long time, it is likely a new balance adjustment will also be going live for characters, items, and gameplay mechanics in the game. This should shift the meta somewhat along with the addition of another all-rounder if a patch is released.
There could also be larger implications, such as a holiday event, new maps, or other mechanics being worked on behind the scenes that are finally ready to be released. We won’t know until the maintenance period is complete, but players can at the very least look forward to playing as Tsareena in the near future.
