Pokémon Leak Reveals Scrapped Projects And Game Freak Drama

A 12 months after the first one, a new leak of documents and production concepts has hit Recreation Freak and the contents are spreading throughout social media. The Pokémon developer has a number of upcoming video games within the works, together with a Era X sport, a Legends sport set in Galar, and an MMO-style sport that lets gamers discover a number of areas. However the leak isn’t simply concerning the video games which might be on the best way. We additionally realized just a few fascinating tidbits about older video games and the inside workings of the corporate. Whereas they is probably not as thrilling as “Era X video games will function procedurally generated worlds,” listed here are just a few takeaways. 

Scarlet and Violet‘s DLC value as a lot to make as a full sport

I used to be fairly lukewarm on each of Scarlet and Violet‘s DLC expansions, however the Indigo Disk and Teal Mask had been such massive initiatives that they ended up costing as much as Pokémon Legends: Arceus‘ entire budget. In accordance to the leaks, the add-ons bought round 6.15 million copies within the first 10 months, in comparison with the bottom Scarlet and Violet’s 27 million in gross sales. Arceus, in the meantime, moved roughly twice what the DLC did (14 million copies) at the next value level, so Recreation Freak is seeking to cut back budgets for its DLC packs to make the enterprise mannequin extra sustainable. 

Growth Budgets:

– SV DLC: 500 million yen
– Legends 2/ZA: 2 billion yen
– Winds/Waves: 3 billion yen

— Centro LEAKS (@CentroLeaks) October 13, 2025

One other fascinating reality about Scarlet and Violet’s DLC is that whereas the ultimate product ended up going down in Kitkami and the Blueberry Academy in Unova (Black and White), the unique plan was to set them in Kalos (X and Y/Legends: Z-A) and Alola (Solar and Moon).

The Pokémon Scarlet/Violet DLC was initially planed to be set in Kalos and Alola.

We ended up getting Kitakami and Unova. pic.twitter.com/V0gWImY9kB

— Centro LEAKS (@CentroLeaks) October 13, 2025

One of many authentic 151 practically obtained a Gigantamax kind

An enormous a part of this leak was a swath of idea artwork for Pokémon Sword and Protect. The 2019 Change video games launched a brand new battle gimmick known as Dynamaxing that permits gamers to quickly rework their monsters into highly effective kaijus beneath sure situations. Each Pokémon might use this method, however a choose few had been in a position to tackle new varieties completely, known as Gigantamax varieties, as soon as they grew to the dimensions of a skyscraper. One of many authentic 151 Pokémon, the poison-type monster Nidoking, was sooner or later in growth going to have one in every of these varieties. He would have sported a pink crown and beard, in addition to a cape on his again. It will have actually leaned into the “king” a part of the Pokémon’s identify, nevertheless it was scrapped. It’s unknown if its feminine counterpart, Nidoqueen, would have additionally acquired an analogous kind.

pic.twitter.com/ygaYebF8Qw

— (Not) Centro Leaks (@CentroLeaks_alt) October 13, 2025

Group Star had a a lot totally different look

Group Star, the antagonistic staff in Scarlet and Violet, is a bunch of scholar outcasts who determined to show all their anger on their fellow classmates. But it surely seems to be just like the group was fairly totally different within the early idea levels. Leaked idea artwork reveals a number of grownup leaders in Group Star, somewhat than the school-aged crew we ended up going through in 2022. Some design motifs survived the iteration course of, corresponding to every member having a float/automobile they pilot that caters to their totally different aesthetics, however general, it looks as if Group Star would have had a a lot totally different position if this model of the group had survived. One member has a biker/monster truck theme, one other has a Wailmer-run boat, and there’s additionally a cunty-ass automotive being held up by a number of Togekiss. It seems to be like this might have been piloted by a dapper male character, and I want I might have met this queen.

pic.twitter.com/P51564Mylu

— (Not) Centro Leaks (@CentroLeaks_alt) October 13, 2025

There’s no Black and White remake in growth…but

Recreation Freak has been placing out remakes of its previous Pokémon video games in chronological order, and provided that the Good Diamond and Shining Pearl remakes introduced the Era IV video games to the Change in 2021, followers have been speculating for years {that a} remake of Gen V’s Black and White is imminent. Effectively, that doesn’t appear to be the case. At the very least, not but. The paperwork within the leak make observe of what the staff desires for a future remake, nevertheless it’s not at present listed on any of Recreation Freak’s pipelines. One other developer might tackle the undertaking like ILCA did for BDSP, however for proper now, I feel we are able to safely assume that an eventual Black and White remake is a methods down the road.

Recreation Freak practically made a Pokéwalker cellular app

Recreation Freak had plans to create a PokéWalker app that will be suitable with Sword and Protect. This is able to have allowed you to take your Pokémon with you in your cellphone, play minigames, and even catch new monsters to ship to your copy of Sword or Protect. The identify “Pokéwalker” initially referred to a peripheral that was first launched again in HeartGold and SoulSilver as a pedometer you may clip onto your garments or bag, and was primarily a digital pet suitable with the DS video games. It feels like this might have served loads of the identical operate, however with out the manufacturing prices.

pic.twitter.com/uh91zeYIYz

— (Not) Centro Leaks (@CentroLeaks_alt) October 13, 2025

We nearly obtained not one, however two Johto Legends video games

Pokémon Legends: Z-A is the second sport within the Legends subseries, and is about within the modern-day. Earlier than Recreation Freak determined to take us again to Kalos, it was contemplating going to Johto, the area from Gold and Silver. The concept was to have two video games, Legends: Ho-Oh and Legends: Lugia, somewhat than simply the lone sport like Arceus and Z-A have been. Like Arceus, these video games would have been a interval piece with a protagonist shot via time into historic Johto and seeing the beginnings of Pokémon trainers. Hopefully Recreation Freak revisits the thought down the road, however we do know from the leaks the subsequent Legends sport might be set in Galar.

“Pokémon Legends: Ho-Oh / Lugia” (sure there have been 2 variations for this one)

2024 marks the twenty fifth anniversary of Gold and Silver.

A historic episode set prior to now of the Gold and Silver period — “Pokémon: Tales of Then and Now.”

Goals to be the last word type of the Legends collection.… https://t.co/vDxNJBdnfL

— Centro LEAKS (@CentroLeaks) October 13, 2025

Drama behind the scenes

Among the paperwork seek advice from inner politics at Recreation Freak, together with long-time collection director Junichi Masuda being “banned” from directing mainline games for a time frame. In keeping with translations of Recreation Freak personnel paperwork, workers thought-about the interval as much as Black and White to be largely dominated by Masuda and felt nobody within the firm might oppose him, resulting in a “focus of energy” and disorganization inside the studio. This ultimately led to an argument between Masuda and character artist Ken Sugimori in the course of the X and Y period, finally ensuing within the firm’s choice to take away Masuda from the director’s chair. Masuda has since stayed on as a producer and supervisor of mainline video games, and was in a position to direct the remakes Let’s Go, Pikachu/Eevee and BDSP. In 2022, Masuda left Recreation Freak for a task on the wider Pokémon Firm, the place he acts as Chief Inventive Fellow.

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Extra information is coming from this leak as we converse, so there would possibly nonetheless be some main bombshells to come back. However for now, we’ve got a fairly good image of what’s coming after Pokémon Legends: Z-A launches on Change and Change 2 on October 16.