PlayVS Partners with The Pokémon Company International to Bring Pokémon UNITE to Scholastic Esports Leagues

Pokémon makes its competitive scholastic league debut in middle and high schools through the PlayVS platform

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 5, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- PlayVS, the leading amateur esports platform, today announced a new partnership with The Pokémon Company International (TPCi), bringing Pokémon UNITE to PlayVS' free competitive leagues for middle and high school students starting this fall scholastic season. This marks the historic first time TPCi has collaborated with a third party to operate official scholastic leagues, signaling a major milestone in the growth and legitimacy of esports in education.

As the newly designated Official Scholastic League Partner for Pokémon UNITE, PlayVS is making one of the world's most iconic game franchises widely accessible to students across the U.S and Canada. The partnership follows a successful pilot season this past spring where PlayVS ran a recreational league to help schools prepare for the upcoming inaugural competitive season.

"Bringing Pokémon UNITE into the classroom through structured competition is a meaningful step forward for PlayVS and scholastic esports as a whole," said Jon Chapman, CEO of PlayVS. "Pokémon has inspired generations of players, and we're proud to help students connect with the franchise in a new and competitive way."

Released in July 2021, Pokémon UNITE is a free-to-play multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) game available on mobile devices and the Nintendo Switch system, offering broad accessibility for students nationwide. Designed for team-based play, the game fosters essential life skills like critical thinking, leadership, and collaboration.

Schools that go on to win their Fall championship will receive invitations to the PlayVS Cup, the platform's national scholastic championship event, where they will compete for scholarship prizes and recognition at the highest level of scholastic esports competition.

This new offering marks a powerful expansion of PlayVS' game portfolio, adding one of the most globally recognized intellectual properties to its lineup of top-tier titles. By integrating Pokémon UNITE into school-based programming, PlayVS is opening new doors for students to thrive through competition, offering opportunities to build critical thinking, collaboration, and leadership skills along the way.

Schools in the U.S and Canada interested in learning more about the upcoming Fall season can learn more at playvs.com

About PlayVS
PlayVS (pronounced Play Versus) is North America's leading scholastic esports platform, on a mission to unlock the many benefits of esports for players everywhere. PlayVS offers a single community in which players, coaches, educators and parents come together to compete, connect and grow through the power of esports. PlayVS is the official high school esports partner to the NFHS Network, the Special Olympics, and state and regional organizations in the U.S. and Canada that offer officially sanctioned scholastic esports leagues. To learn more about PlayVS, visit https://playvs.com/.

About Pokémon
The Pokémon Company International, a subsidiary of The Pokémon Company in Japan, manages the property outside of Asia and is responsible for brand management, licensing and marketing, the Pokémon Trading Card Game, the animated TV series, home entertainment, and the official Pokémon website. Pokémon was launched in Japan in 1996 and today is one of the most popular children's entertainment properties in the world. For more information, visit www.pokemon.com.

About Pokémon UNITE
Team up and take down the opposition in Pokémon's first 5-on-5 strategic battle game! Join Trainers from around the world as they head for Aeos Island to compete in Unite Battles! In Unite Battles, Trainers face off in 5-on-5 team battles to see who can score the most points within the allotted time. Teamwork is key as you and your teammates defeat wild Pokémon, level up, evolve your own Pokémon, and work to prevent the opposing team from scoring points. Put your teamwork to the test, and take home the win!

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SOURCE PlayVS