Nintendo, Tencent team up on Pokemon battler

By Sam Nussey

TOKYO (Reuters) - Nintendo-backed The Pokemon Company on Wednesday announced a cross-platform Pokemon team battling game developed with Tencent's Timi Studio as the two gaming heavyweights deepen their cooperation with a twist on the Pokemon format.

In "Pokemon Unite" teams of five hunt down Pokemon in a battle area, with the game running on Nintendo Co Ltd's Switch console and on mobile. Its release date is yet to be announced.

Japan's Nintendo is deepening its cooperation with China's top gaming company Tencent Holdings Ltd, with the two firms partnering to sell the Switch into the Chinese market.

Tencent announced last July its Shenzhen-based Timi Studio was working on a new Pokemon title. The studio behind the monster mobile hit "Honor of Kings", it is targeting overseas expansion and recently hired a U.S. director from French gaming company Ubisoft.

Nintendo's share price this month touched 12-year highs as demand from shut-in consumers and the huge success of island life simulator Animal Crossing: New Horizons buoyed sentiment around the Kyoto-based firm.

(Reporting by Sam Nussey; Additional reporting by Pei Li; Editing by Angus MacSwan)