Chinese Media Giant Tencent Has a Plan for Pokémon

Hi everyone, this is Zheping in Hong Kong. I spent the last few days trying to destroy them all. That, essentially, is the goal of the new Pokémon game, Pokémon Unite, which launched on Nintendo Co.’s Switch console this week. The game was made by Tencent Holdings Ltd. in partnership with Pokémon Co., and unlike the U.S. hit Pokémon Go, its focus is battling other Pokémon rather than catching them.

Tencent, the sprawling social media and gaming behemoth, has high hopes for Unite. Right now, the climate in the country for tech giants is tense, but Tencent’s ambitions haven’t diminished. The new game showcases its strategy to fuel global growth by teaming up with the owners of prized international intellectual properties.