Pokemon Masters Trailer Shows Off More 3-On-3 Trainer Battles

Pokemon Sword and Shield will probably wind up being two of the biggest releases of the year, but ahead of their launch, Nintendo is plotting a new Pokemon mobile game. Dubbed Pokemon Masters, there still isn't very much we know about the game, despite the fact that it's supposed to launch at some point this summer. Today, a new trailer is shedding a little more light on Pokemon Masters by showing us some of the things we'll be able to do in game.

The trailer isn't very long – clocking in at just over a minute – but it does preview a few different features. For instance, Pokemon Masters will offer up cooperative play where three players can team up to battle AI opponents. When you're playing cooperatively, you'll be able to launch unity attacks with the other players, in which all three trainers and their Pokemon attack at once.

For those who need refresher, it seems that most of Pokemon Masters' gameplay is centered around the concept of "sync pairs," which are comprised of a Pokemon trainer and a companion Pokemon. The Pokemon do most of the work when it comes to battling, with their trainer acting as something of a support unit. Battles will be 3-on-3 affairs and play out in real time, so you'll be using three different sync pairs when you head into battles.

As with most Pokemon games, the overarching goal of Pokemon Masters seems to be traveling around the region to collect gym badges and then challenging the Pokemon League. The Pokemon Masters League on Pasio Island will feature familiar Pokemon trainers from all other regions, so if you have a favorite character from the mainline games, chances are they'll be in this one.

Finally, is a statement today, The Pokemon Company confirmed that players will be able to equip their trainer roster with Sygna Suits, which are pegged as "special outfits trainers can wear into battle." Equipping a trainer with a Sygna Suit will change its partner Pokemon – Brock, for example, will be paired with Tyranitar instead of his usual Onix when he equips his Sygna Suit.

Even after this trailer, there's still a lot we don't know about Pokemon Masters. Right now, our biggest questions concern monetization, but given the focus on building a team of Pokemon trainers, it certainly sounds like Pokemon Masters will be a gacha game. Hopefully we'll find out how The Pokemon Company and DeNA will monetize this game soon, and aside from that, we'll be keeping an eye out for word on a release date too.