Pokémon

Pokémon Champions devs apologize for launch issues and reveal first confirmed bug fixes

An official statement details gameplay bugs already scheduled to be resolved in upcoming updates.

Update: Apr 9th, 2026 17:59 CEST

Pokémon Champions was released just a couple of days ago, and describing its launch as “rocky” is an understatement. The new title, which aims to bring competitive Pokémon battles to a standalone platform, has received a mixed reception from the community, mainly due to various bugs and technical issues that directly impact the gameplay experience.

In response to the situation, The Pokémon Company issued an official statement apologizing and acknowledging the issues with the launch. Along with this message, the company shared an initial list of confirmed bugs that will be fixed shortly. While this is not an exhaustive list, it does represent a first step toward addressing players’ main concerns.

What are the first bugs that will be fixed in Pokémon Champions?

“Thank you for playing Pokémon Champions,” reads the message posted by the development team. “We have confirmed that the following issues are currently occurring.”

The description of the “Leech Seed” state is incorrect. Incorrect: Takes damage equal to 1/16 of maximum HP. Correct: Takes damage equal to 1/8 of maximum HP. However, the calculation is correct during battle.
Under certain conditions, when both Pokémon Mega Evolve simultaneously, the order may be unintended.
The gender of some Pokémon in the tutorial is incorrect.
The gender of some Pokémon in the released coordinated teams is incorrect.
When in Encore state, the ability “Lightning Rod” may not activate correctly.
When viewing move details during battle, if you hover the cursor over “Mega Evolution” and press the B button, you cannot select the move. If this phenomenon occurs, you can avoid the inability to select the move by opening and closing the surrender window with the “-” button.

“The above bugs are scheduled to be fixed in future data updates or maintenance,” the note continues. “We will continue to investigate other issues not mentioned above. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. Thank you for your continued support of Pokémon Champions.”