Aditya ChaudhuriThe Pokémon UNITE World Championship Series is set to return to India in 2023 with a much bigger format and higher stakes. The three-month tournament will reward teams in India with a reported US$75,000 in prize money. It will also determine the two teams that will represent the country at the 2023 Pokémon UNITE World Championship, which is set to take place in Japan with US$500,000 on the line.
The India Qualifier will take place from April to June, 2023, and feature an open-for-all format. Split into the April Qualifier, the May Qualifier, and the Last Chance Qualifier, these three competitions will determine the eight teams that will compete in the India Playoffs, where the two slots to the World Championship in Japan will be up for grabs.
The April and May Qualifiers will be two-day tournaments, where up to 256 teams will compete from across the country. The top three teams from each Qualifier will advance to the Regional Playoffs. Finally, the Last Chance Qualifier will determine the last two teams in the India Playoffs.
The April and May Qualifiers will each have US$18,750 on the line. The India Playoffs, on the other hand, will reward US$37,500. The entirety of the tournament will be played online.
The schedule for it is as follows:
- April Qualifier: April 15 and 16, 2023
- May Qualifier: May 20 and 21, 2023
- Last-Chance Qualifier: June 3, 2023
- Regional Playoffs (India): June 4, 2023
Shiva Nandy, Founder and CEO, Skyesports, commented:
“After the success of the Pokémon UNITE India Open and the Asia Champions League, we are thrilled to continue our association with The Pokémon Company for the Championship Series. Over the past few months, the game has already witnessed a steady increase in viewership and engagement. We are also seeing interest from top organisations in the country to enter this promising mobile title. With this clear roadmap in place for the World Championship Series and also some of Skyesports’ original IPs lined up, Pokémon UNITE has a bright future in the country.“
The 2023 Pokémon UNITE World Championship is set to take place in Yokohama, Japan, in August later this year. The two teams from India will be among 32 teams from all over the world competing for a share of the US$500,000 prize pool and the title of world champions.
Skyesports will be the broadcasting partner for the event. Fans will be able to catch all the action live in Hindi on the official Skyesports YouTube channel.
