Pokemon Unite Blastoise delayed and players can’t believe it

Brent Koepp
Pokemon anime Ash Ketchum next to Pokemon Unite Blastoise

Some Pokemon Unite players are outraged after TiMi Studios announced that Blissey would release on August 18th, 2021 ahead of Blastoise. Fans of the MOBA have been left baffled by the Kanto starter’s continuous delay.

Ever since Pokemon Unite was revealed in 2020, Gen I starter Blastoise has been featured heavily in the game’s marketing. The popular ‘mon was even available in several of the MOBA’s stress test betas.

Despite being completely playable with a full moveset, the Water-type has continued to have its release delayed. Furious fans are now asking TiMi Studios why the blue turtle is being delayed for Blissey.

Pokemon Unite upcoming character tease
Despite being announced before launch, Blastoise is still missing from Pokemon Unite.

Pokemon Unite players disappointed over Blastoise delay

While the starter never had a concrete release date, TiMi Studios announced in June that Blastoise, Gardevoir, and a mystery ‘mon would be the next Pokemon to be added to the team-based multiplayer.

On July 28th, however, the Chinese developer skipped Blastoise in the announcement graphic’s order and added Gardevoir instead. This led many players to believe Blastoise would have to be next.

The community was stunned when Blissey was revealed to be the next character to be released instead. The surprising announcement left many fans confused as to why the Water-type is being pushed back further.

https://twitter.com/PokemonUnite/status/1427253815720386570

Fans immediately reacted to the Blissey news and hit out at the developer. “Why announce Blastoise first but release Blissey before him. I wouldn’t mind if releases were like a week faster” a user tweeted. Another wrote, “Ayo stop doing my boy Blastoise dirty like that.”

One Trainer even exclaimed, “Why do you show Blastoise, then release Blissy and Gardevoir before Blastoise? Really weird Blastoise is in the tutorial, and in the “launch” trailer.”

Pokemon Unite players furious over Blastoise delay Blissey

The Pokemon community was so angered by the decision that Blastoise itself begin trending in the United States and eventually worldwide on Twitter.

Pokemon Unite Blastoise Twitter Trending
Blastoise was even trending on Twitter after fans were angered by the Pokemon’s delay.

At the time of writing TiMi Studios has not made any further comments on why Blastoise’s release in the team-based multiplayer is taking so long. Some fans have begun to speculate that the starter could make its debut with the mobile iOS and Android launch of Pokemon Unite.

While it’s true the Water-type was never promised by a certain date, it is a bit strange that the ‘mon was fully playable in early versions of the game. Not to mention, Blissey wasn’t ever teased and was only known because of a datamine. Only time will tell when the blue turtle will make its much-anticipated debut in the MOBA.