'Pokemon Unite' Will End Service in Belgium, the Netherlands in 2025

Pokemon Unite announced that it will be ending service for players who are based in Belgium and the Netherlands in 2025.

The specific date for this will be Nov. 30, 2025, and will also have all in-game purchases and subscriptions not available starting on Oct. 31, 2024. The official website made the announcement and addressed the development.

Pokemon Unite Ending Service in Select Markets

The developers thanked players in the affected regions for all their support for Pokemon Unite. However, it said that it made the difficult decision to end service in Belgium and the Netherlands before the end of next year.

The statement noted that the application will no longer be available to download on mobile devices and Nintendo Switch consoles beyond Nov. 30, 2025. It encouraged the use of all in-game items that players have before that date.

Developer TiMi Studio Group also thanked its players in the affected regions for their support of the game. It also expressed its apologies for any inconvenience the sudden decision brings, according to My Nintendo News.

The situation comes as the free-to-play MOBA was able to build up a significant fanbase since it came to the Nintendo Switch and mobile devices in 2021.

The developers gave no official reason for the decision to take it off markets in Belgium and the Netherlands.

However a previous report noted many fans speculate that the decision was due to stringent rules and regulations in select markets. These are those that pertain to loot boxes and gacha mechanics.

There were people who thought that the game was somewhat geared towards making a profit from its player base. This was instead of trying to win over people through engaging gameplay and features, Nintendo Life said.

Potential Reason for the Decision

The main thing that attracts many players to Pokemon Unite is letting players control Pokemon inside a MOBA setting. It also lets you battle it out against other people for control over the battlefield.

The game also has an ever-growing roster of characters that players can choose from and more are being added regularly. The newest one is Armarouge who came to the game earlier this month.

Future updates for Pokemon Unite will add even more choices for players when it comes to which Pokemon they will use. For now, the ones that are confirmed are Darkrai for October and Psyduck for November.

The game has enough popularity among the community to justify the developers continuing to work on it.

One more theory about the situation is that Pokemon Unite is not popular enough in Belgium and the Netherlands. However, this is a much less likely possibility, according to Game Rant.