Up next in 10
Sở hữu thương hiệu giải trí đắt giá nhất hành tinh (Pokémon), đứng sau là tập đoàn Tencent Games (10 Xu) cùng TiMi Studio Group – "ông trùm" nhào nặn nên Honor of Kings và Liên Quân Mobile. Những tưởng Pokémon UNITE đã nắm chắc bộ bài toàn quân Át chủ bài trong tay.
Thế nhưng, trò chơi chính thức thông báo sẽ đóng cửa toàn bộ máy chủ trên Nintendo Switch, Android và iOS vào ngày 23/03/2027.
Tại sao một tựa game sở hữu tiềm năng khổng lồ lại đi đến hồi kết sau gần 6 năm hoạt động? Đội ngũ vận hành đã đưa ra những quyết định tranh cãi nào khiến cộng đồng Reddit và game thủ quốc tế liên tục "bóc phốt"?
Trong video hôm nay, Thế Giới Game Việt sẽ cùng anh em nhìn lại bức tranh toàn cảnh:
Hệ thống License Journey phức tạp: Tích điểm gò bó, làm khó người mới và hạn chế tự do chọn Pokémon.
Thảm họa Matchmaking & MMR ẩn: Sự thừa nhận chính thức từ nhà phát triển về hệ thống ghép trận thiếu công bằng.
Khủng hoảng Bot trong PvP: Khi game thủ cảm thấy mình đang đá giải "vô địch trí tuệ nhân tạo" thay vì đấu người thật.
Bào tiền & Thương mại hóa quá mức: Tăng giá bán, giảm phần thưởng và cảm giác "hút máu" tích tụ theo thời gian.
Bài học đắt giá cho ngành game: Thương hiệu triệu đô không thể gánh nổi trải nghiệm vận hành yếu kém.
Anh em cảm thấy thế nào về thông báo đóng cửa của Pokémon UNITE? Liệu lỗi lớn nhất nằm ở cách vận hành của nhà 10 Xu hay bản thân MOBA Pokémon khó trụ vững? Hãy để lại ý kiến dưới phần bình luận nhé!
Đừng quên ấn Like, Đăng ký kênh Thế Giới Game Việt và bật chuông thông báo để không bỏ lỡ các video phân tích chuyên sâu tiếp theo!
#PokemonUNITE #PokemonUNITEDongCua #TheGioiGameViet #TencentGames #TiMiStudio
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0:00
Imagine this, guys. If one day you were
0:02
tasked with developing a mobile game for
0:04
the Pokémon franchise, one of the most
0:06
famous entertainment brands on the
0:07
planet, would you be confident in making
0:09
it a success? Especially if the project
0:11
was backed by Tencent Games, or as
0:13
everyone likes to call it "10-cent,"
0:14
along with TiMi Studio Group, the team
0:16
behind hit mobile titles like Honor of
0:18
Kings or Arena of Valor. You have the
0:20
brand, the money, the experience, and a
0:22
massive pool of millions of fans
0:24
worldwide. Jokingly speaking, this is
0:26
like being dealt a hand full of aces;
0:28
you just have to play them right. Yet,
0:30
Pokémon Unite, which launched in July
0:33
2021, has officially announced it will
0:35
shut down on May 23, 2027, on Nintendo
0:38
Switch, Android, and iOS. After nearly 6
0:40
years of operation, the game has to say
0:43
goodbye. So, the question is, what did
0:45
Tencent do to lead a game with such
0:47
massive advantages as Pokémon Unite to
0:49
this end? Is it because players didn't
0:51
want to buy Pokémon? Or were it the
0:52
decisions of the operations team that
0:54
caused the community to turn their backs
0:55
? Today, The Gioi Game Viet will join
0:57
you in digging up the exposés from the
0:59
international gaming community.
1:00
Especially on Reddit, to see what
1:02
problems Pokémon Unite has faced over
1:04
the years. Note that the publisher has
1:06
not yet announced the official business
1:07
reasons behind the decision to shut down
1:09
. Therefore, the issues we discuss are
1:11
operational decisions and community
1:13
feedback, not direct evidence of
1:15
financial loss.
1:18
Unlocking Pokémon is very difficult.
1:22
Anyone who plays mobile games
1:23
understands that the characters are the
1:25
soul of the game. Some like Pikachu,
1:27
some like Charizard, and some just want
1:29
to play their favorite Pokémon. However
1:32
, at the end of 2025, the Pokémon Unite
1:34
team made a decision that frustrated
1:37
many gamers: changing the Pokémon unlock
1:39
system. Previously, players could
1:41
accumulate Aeos Coins and use them to
1:43
purchase the Pokémon licenses they
1:45
wanted. But since December 4, 2025, this
1:47
system was replaced by the License
1:50
Journey. According to the official
1:51
announcement, Aeos Coins are no longer
1:53
being issued and can no longer be used
1:55
to purchase Pokemon licenses. Instead,
1:56
players must accumulate license points
1:58
through the Battle Pass, missions, prize
2:00
boxes, and other activities. In
2:02
particular, the new system often
2:04
requires players to choose from a pool
2:05
of five Pokemon provided in each phase
2:07
instead of being free to pick any
2:09
Pokemon at any time. Do you guys see a
2:11
problem here? A mobile game where you
2:13
have to follow a system-mandated path
2:15
just to own your favorite character.
2:16
What's more, the paid Vop Pass offers
2:18
extra license points, helping buyers
2:20
progress faster. And so, a mechanism
2:22
introduced to improve the experience is
2:24
being criticized by the community for
2:26
making unlocking Pokemon more
2:28
complicated. Jokes aside, you used to
2:30
just do missions, save up money, and buy
2:32
a Pokemon; now you have to study a
2:34
career development path just to own one
2:36
. Oh TiMi, we came here to play, not to
2:39
sign up for a trainer training program.
2:41
The thing is, long-time players who
2:43
already have many Pokemon might be less
2:45
affected, but for new or returning
2:47
players, not being able to easily access
2:49
desired characters could be a reason for
2:51
them to quit the game.
2:54
Unfair matchmaking.
2:56
If you ask MOBA gamers what frustrates
2:58
them the most, matchmaking is definitely
3:00
at the top of the list. Pokemon Unite is
3:03
no exception. For years, the community
3:05
has continuously reported teammates with
3:06
skill gaps, unbalanced matches, and a
3:08
ranking system that doesn't reflect
3:09
actual skill levels. But this time, it's
3:11
not just the gamers speaking up. In
3:14
December 2024, the Pokemon Unite
3:15
operations team themselves announced
3:17
plans to adjust matchmaking. According
3:19
to the developers, the previous system
3:21
used a hidden MMR metric for matchmaking
3:23
. Meanwhile, the displayed Master Rank
3:25
points did not always accurately reflect
3:26
a player's actual ability. Specifically
3:28
, the previous point-gain mechanism
3:29
could allow players to keep accumulating
3:31
rank points even when their actual skill
3:32
level did not justify it. The
3:33
development team also admitted that win
3:35
or loss streaks can lead to matching
3:37
players with opponents or teammates of
3:38
significantly different ranks. And they
3:40
have to test changes to this system in
3:42
season 24. You guys probably find this
3:44
familiar, right? In MOBA games, winning
3:47
is fun, but losing is bitter. But what’s
3:49
most bitter is the feeling that you
3:50
tried your best, yet the match still
3:51
felt unfair. One match is acceptable,
3:53
two might be overlooked. But if this
3:55
experience keeps repeating, players
3:56
easily lose their motivation. It is
3:58
worth noting that this isn't a story
4:00
made up by "antifans." The operations
4:01
team themselves have publicly admitted
4:03
the limitations of the ranking system
4:04
and the need to find ways to improve it
4:06
. For a game centered on 5v5 competition
4:08
, the matchmaking system itself has
4:09
become a source of prolonged controversy
4:11
. That is clearly not a good sign for a
4:14
game that wants to develop long-term.
4:17
Players vs. bots.
4:20
Another issue frequently mentioned by
4:22
international gamers is matches against
4:24
bots. You know, in mobile games, there's
4:26
nothing wrong with playing against AI.
4:28
Bots can help beginners practice, get
4:29
familiar with characters, or reduce
4:31
pressure in their first few matches. But
4:33
when players want a real PvP experience
4:35
and consistently feel like they are
4:36
playing against machines, it’s a
4:38
completely different story.
4:39
On Reddit, many Pokémon Unite gamers
4:41
have reported that they encounter bot
4:43
matches more often than they would like
4:45
. Some even say this experience makes
4:47
them lose interest in logging in. Of
4:49
course, we don't have internal data to
4:51
confirm exactly what percentage of
4:53
matches use bots or whether bot usage is
4:55
due to a decline in player numbers. But
4:56
the simple fact that players keep
4:58
complaining about this issue is enough
5:00
to raise questions. Because the appeal
5:02
of a MOBA lies in outsmarting real
5:04
people. Opponents can gank unexpectedly
5:05
, teammates can coordinate brilliantly,
5:07
and one team fight can turn the whole
5:09
match around. If that experience is
5:10
replaced too much by matches against AI
5:12
, players will gradually lose their
5:14
sense of competition. Jokingly speaking
5:16
, you download Pokémon Unite to become
5:17
the world's greatest trainer, only to
5:19
feel like you're competing in an AI
5:21
championship. Tencent, huh? Bots might
5:24
help fill up matches, but they can't
5:26
replace a real PVP community.
5:29
Over-commercialization.
5:32
And now we get to the part that makes
5:34
the community call out Tencent the most
5:36
: monetization. Pokémon Unite is a
5:38
free-to-play game, so selling skins,
5:40
Battle Passes, or paid items is
5:42
completely normal. A game running for
5:44
years needs revenue to maintain servers
5:46
, develop content, and pay the team. The
5:48
problem lies in how they monetize.
5:51
In a Reddit thread titled "Rest in Peace
5:53
Pokemon Unite" right after the October
5:56
27, 2026 shutdown announcement, a
5:57
comment with over 1,000 upvotes argued
5:59
that it's hard to believe a Pokémon
6:01
title with such great potential was run
6:03
into the ground to the point of closure
6:06
.
6:06
A response comment with hundreds of
6:08
upvotes criticized the strategy they
6:10
claim many game companies are adopting.
6:12
Initially offering an engaging
6:13
experience, but over time raising prices
6:15
while reducing rewards and features.
6:17
This is the opinion of gamers, not a
6:19
financial report, but it reflects a very
6:22
notable sentiment. Players don't
6:23
necessarily oppose spending money; they
6:25
oppose the feeling that the game offers
6:27
less and less in return. When a gamer
6:29
feels their hard work is being devalued
6:31
, they will start to question whether
6:32
they should stick around. And when that
6:34
happens, no matter how famous the
6:36
Pokémon brand is, it cannot guarantee
6:38
player retention.
6:41
Frustrated with the operation. The most
6:44
unfortunate thing about Pokémon Unite is
6:46
that not everyone hates this game. In
6:48
fact, right after the shutdown
6:49
announcement, many players expressed
6:51
their regret. Some have stuck around
6:52
since day one, loving the fast-paced
6:54
combat system, the short match durations
6:55
, and the feeling of controlling their
6:57
favorite Pokémon. And precisely because
6:59
they love the game, they are frustrated
7:01
when long-standing issues are not
7:02
addressed as expected. This is also
7:04
something that online game developers
7:05
need to care about. A game doesn't
7:07
necessarily have to die due to a lack of
7:09
ideas. It can gradually lose its appeal
7:11
when those who once loved it most no
7:12
longer want to log in. The community can
7:14
accept an overpowered Pokémon and wait
7:16
for a balance patch, or accept losing a
7:18
few ranked matches, or even spend money
7:20
on cool skins. But if frustrating
7:22
experiences keep accumulating over the
7:23
years, patience will eventually reach
7:25
its limit. At this point, we must
7:26
acknowledge one thing: Pokémon Unite was
7:28
not a game that failed upon release. It
7:30
survived for over five years, built its
7:31
own community, and was once part of the
7:33
official Pokémon Unite competitive
7:34
circuit. Those are undeniable
7:36
achievements, but a game with a
7:37
successful past can still fail to
7:39
maintain its future. Controversies
7:40
regarding licenses, grinding,
7:41
matchmaking, bosses, character balance,
7:43
and monetization show that the community
7:45
had many grievances with how Pokémon
7:46
Unite was operated. We cannot yet
7:47
conclude that these specific issues were
7:49
what led Tencent to decide to shut the
7:50
game down. Confirming that would require
7:52
player data, revenue, operating costs,
7:54
and information from those who made the
7:55
decision. However, there is a perfectly
7:58
reasonable question to ask. If these
8:00
issues had been addressed sooner, could
8:02
Pokémon Unite have lasted longer?
8:04
A famous brand can help a game attract
8:06
millions of downloads, but it cannot
8:08
guarantee that players will stay forever
8:09
. Tencent has the money, TiMi has the
8:11
experience, and Pokémon has global
8:13
appeal. But ultimately, what determines
8:15
the survival of an online game is still
8:17
the player experience and the ability to
8:19
sustain business operations. And that is
8:21
the lesson worth reflecting on from
8:23
Pokémon Unite. What about you guys? Do
8:25
you think Tencent operated Pokémon Unite
8:27
poorly, or is a mobile MOBA Pokémon
8:28
title inherently difficult to compete
8:30
with the industry giants over the long
8:32
term? Leave your thoughts in the
8:33
comments section and don't forget to
8:34
follow The Gioi Game Viet to update
8:35
yourself with more interesting stories
8:37
about the gaming world. Goodbye and see
8:39
you all in the next videos.
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