Pokémon Unite stands out among the genre of MOBA games in more than a few features. It’s quite common for MOBA games to have a scoreboard, however ever since the launch of Pokémon unite, players have been wondering about the lack of an in-game scoreboard. According to developers at TiMi Studios Group, that’s by design. The developers seem to have cracked the code for reducing rage-quitting in their game just by turning off the scoreboard.
MOBA games mostly have an objective to score points and the team with the most points wins. Hence, players are provided with a scoreboard so that they can keep in check and compare the scores to strategize effectively. However, Pokémon Unite never tallies the points either side has until the match is over.
The game drops hints about who’s ahead and who’s behind via attention alerts like ‘We’re struggling to keep up’, ‘It’s a close battle’, ‘We’re in the lead, and a few more, but they’re deliberately designed to not reveal how far the score is.
Pokémon Unite score is hidden for a good cause
In a QnA session between Masaaki Hoshino, Pokémon Unite’s producer, and Kotaku, the former wrote via email
“The matches last 10 minutes and players have the possibility of making a comeback, so we wanted people to play without giving up to the very end,” when asked about the lack of scoreboard in the game during a match.
Removing the scoreboard is an interesting solution that unexpectedly works effectively in improving the game environment for Pokémon Unite players. Players feel more likely to pull out a win if they are unaware of the current points, even if they’re literally behind they might stick around long enough to pull off a miracle and win the whole thing.
Moreover, the game has been designed such that the last 2 minutes of the game can decide the fate of the match. For the last 2 minutes, the point is literally doubled. With each goal one scores, points do get doubled. It is also when the Zapdos spawns. Defeating Zapdos would almost guarantee your victory.
The lack of a scoreboard can lead to some confusion on the battlefield like strategizing whether it’s safe to play defensive or go aggressive and snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. However, not being able to see the scoreboard not only keeps the hope alive and morale high in the players despite a rough start but players might also turn the tide of the match within the last 2 minutes and win the match with the most satisfying comeback.
Actual meaning of the Pokemon Unite attention alerts
If you have ever wondered what are the actual meanings of the notifications that Pokemon Unite gives to the players during the battles, please check them below
- It’s a close battle: The difference is only 0-20 points between the two teams
- We’re in the lead!: The team is ahead of 21 to 99 points
- We have a huge lead!: The has more than 100 points lead
- We’re struggling to keep up!: The team is behind with 22 to 99 points
- We’re really struggling!: The team is behind with more than 100 points
The answer by Mr. Hoshino definitely makes sense to keep up the morale alive and we expect more such small things to make Pokemon Unite an enjoyable game in the coming months!
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