The Pokémon World Championships are finally upon us! What this means is that we are going to be flooded with Pokémon-themed content over the next four days, so keep your peepers peeled for a whole host of info coming your way very shortly.
One of the first pieces of news to hit the event came near the start of the opening ceremony no less, as President and CEO of The Pokémon Company, Tsunekazu Ishihara, revealed Pokémon Unite’s new battle stage, Theia Sky Ruins. While there is no official release date for this new location just yet (we have been hit with the dreaded ‘coming soon‘ until then), Pokémon Unite has shared an official first look at the battlefield for all those who were not livestreaming the World Championships’ opening ceremony.
The trailer also teases a familiar legendary face which will seemingly be holding court over the sky ruins. Many fans will have identified the returning Pokémon immediately from its distinctive design, but for those less inclined to play ‘Who’s That Pokémon’, it’s Generation III legendary Rayquaza who will be central to the upcoming stage.
This hugely popular Sky High Pokémon first appeared back in Pokémon Ruby & Sapphire and was the mascot for Pokémon Emerald, so we are excited to see it once again receive the all-powerful treatment it deserves. Here’s hoping we don’t have a Unite Zapdos situation on our hands again, of which TheGamer said “Zapdos is Pokemon Unite’s Golden Snitch”.
Looking at the stage itself, it seems to be laid out in the classic Unite fashion, with the circular track leading you clearly to the next goal zone. Unlike the clear, modern stages that have defined the look of the game up until this point, however, Theia Sky Ruins provides a much more decaying feel, with the arena strewn with rubble and half-built structures.
You can check out the teaser trailer for yourself below!
Don’t forget, you’ll be able to snag an exclusive in-game t-shirt during the World Championship livestreams over the next few days. Here are all of the details we know so far:
What do you make of this new Pokémon Unite stage? Are you a fan of Rayquaza? Don’t use Outrage; just let us know your thoughts in the comments!
