Pokemon Gen 8 "Leaks" Confirmed as Fake

Sorry, Pokemon fans, no Platypus Pokemon for you.Yesterday, WWG reported on the 'leak' of alleged [...]

Sorry, Pokemon fans, no Platypus Pokemon for you.

Yesterday, WWG reported on the "leak" of alleged reference art for three Starter Pokemon that would supposedly appear in the upcoming Pokemon games. While we expressed skepticism that they were the real thing, we did have to admit that the lemur-esque Grass-Type Pokemon, platypus-like Water-Type Pokemon, and the bunny rabbit Fire-Type Pokemon looked pretty darn great.

A fan artist that uses the name "50 Shades of Helioisk" on Facebook has come forward, claiming that they were the creators of the alleged artwork. In a brief post, the artist noted that they had tapped a Japanese friend to write the much-debated and analyzed text that convinced many that the art was real.

"In general, the fact that I've had all this scope makes me realize that maybe I was able to create something really convincing," the artist wrote in Italian. "Peace and love, and if you want you can start throwing me all the insults I deserve."

These are the second set of convincing Pokemon fakes to appear in recent weeks. Both sets have used a format similar to actual animation reference art that leaked online in 2016, showing the final forms of the Alolan Starter Pokemon. While those posts were met with skepticism at first, they were confirmed as legitimate when the Pokemon Company revealed an unrelated character who also appeared in the reference artwork. Other leaks confirmed as legitimate include the reveal of Greninja back in 2013 and a mass leak of many of the new Pokemon from Pokemon Black and White.

The leaks do confirm that the Pokemon fanbase is itching for some news about the next pair of Pokemon games. Nintendo and Game Freak confirmed at E3 last year that they were developing new Pokemon games for the Nintendo Switch, but they declined to give a release date for the games. Nintendo has dropped hints that the games might come out this year, but Game Freak has stayed mum with details.

With the annual "Pokemon Day" coming up in less than a week, it's possible that the Pokemon Company will give us an update about new games....or they could be holding off until the games are closer to completion.

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