Pokemon Go to Get First-Ever Competitive Tournament

Are you a fan of Pokemon Go? Do you enjoy battling against other trainers in-game? Then you’re in luck – for the first time ever, the Pokemon World Championship will be hosting a player-versus-player (PVP) competition for Pokemon Go!

The annual Pokemon World Championship has always placed a higher focus on competitive play for the trading card game (TCG), as well as for the mainline games on the Nintendo (3)DS. With 2019’s iteration of the renowned tournament, though, it seems like Pokemon Go might just be taking center stage. The move comes as somewhat of a surprise, seeing as how PvP trainer battles are a pretty niche part of Pokemon Go’s gameplay.

How will the competitive battle work?

According to Pokemon’s website, the players will compete in a double-elimination tournament, and the winners for each match will be decided in best-of-five matches. Competitors may only choose six (6) Pokemon to use throughout the entire tournament, and all six Pokemon must be different.

Who can sign up to compete?

The 2019 Pokemon World Championships will be held in Washington, DC, on August 16. For that reason, only those who are attending the event, and are from the United States, will be able to sign up (and get accepted) to compete in the tournament. Here’s the catch, however: there’s only one competitor slot left!

If you’re planning on attending and you’re keen on competing, though, it’s definitely worth a shot. After all, big names such as Junichi Masuda (Game Freak’s director) and Shigeki Morimoto (A Game Freak designer) will be competing in the tournament as well.

If you’re interested in applying, you can check out the tournament’s application details here, and fill in the form to apply here. Be quick, though – sign-ups close tomorrow, on 31st July! Alternatively, if you’d just like to tune in to watch the battle live, you’ll be able to watch Pokemon’s official livestream here.