Nintendo Switch Online is offering subscribers a popular Pokemon game for free for a limited time to tie in with the World Championships.
Since the launch of the Nintendo Switch Online service, Nintendo has been on a mission to provide value to players who part with their cash. Along with the ability to access the online multiplayer, subscribers are able to play hundreds of games from the Japanese giant's long history.
While NSO doesn't quite offer games to the same level as Xbox Game Pass or Sony’s PlayStation Network, Nintendo does things differently and regularly provides full trails of certain games. At the moment, players in Europe are able to play NIS America’s epic RPG Ys 8: Lacrimosa of Dana at no extra cost, but those who reside in North America get a different title to jump into.
Nintendo has decided to offer a free trial of Pokken Tournament DX. From August 18 to August 24 at 11:59 PM PT, subscribers to the Switch online service can download the full version of the brawler at no extra cost. After the trial comes to an end, players can make use of a 30% discount to buy the full version of the game.
This isn't the first time the game has been used as part of the NSO free game trail, as Nintendo also gave players access to Pokken Tournament in 2020. Players who previously took part in this trial are still able to use save data that might still be on their consoles.
Pokken Tournament was developed by Bandai Namco and originally released on the Wii U and arcades in 2015. The game brought the well-loved Pokemon series and combined it with Tekken-style fighting mechanics. Players could choose one of a limited number of Pokemon and battle one-on-one with other trainers. Owing to the Wii U’s poor sales figures, a Switch port was released in 2017 and added a 3v3 mode and additional fighters to the lineup.
Even though this might be a repeat offer, the free trial of Pokken Tournament DX makes sense as this weekend sees the Pokemon World Championships taking place in London. The event comes at a time when The Pokemon Company is gearing up to release the next generation of games and will see nearly a hundred trainers from across the world battle it out in order to be crowned World Champion. For Pokken though, the London championship will be the last appearance, as the game will retire from the competitive circuit at the end of the current 2022 season.
Pokken Tournament DX is available now for Nintendo Switch.
Joseph has been playing games for over 25 years. Ever since opening an original Game Boy and Tetris one Christmas morning, there was no going back. When not writing about games, Joe can be found playing the latest platformer or fixing broken game consoles.