A cancelled Pokemon game has leaked online as part of a new and massive Nintendo leak. The leak, which reveals several cancelled games, reveals that developer iQue pitched Nintendo on a mainline Pokemon game not for a Nintendo device, but for the PC. The kicker? It would have a robust set of online features and use the GBA as a controller. The leak reveals the game was brewing back in 2004, but unfortunately, it didn’t get very far past the conceptual stage.
Videos by ComicBook.com
The leak describes a Pokemon game that sounds, well, very much like a Pokemon game, but with a few twists. There was going to be trading, collecting, and battling like any Pokemon game, but there was also going to be an extensive online chat, tournament mode, and even treasure hunting.
Of course, like any mainline Pokemon game, there was going to be an offline story mode that would have used FireRed and LeafGreen as a foundation. However, to get players online, it looks the developers were only going to offer a few dozen Pokemon offline. The rest would only be accessible when connecting online.
The leak reveals the innovation wouldn’t stop here though. The game was also flirting with a region concept. With this, players would encounter different Pokemon depending on what region of the world they were in.
Building upon this concept, there was also going to be an advanced egg hatching system that would give players different eggs depending on IRL variables like real-time clock, the weather, and the Pokemon birth rate in the region the player is in.
Basically, the pitch of the game was to create an online Pokemon club. To do this, there would be timed events, tournaments with 3D models, and features that encourage players to come together to talk, trade, and battle.
The project was ambitious, and perhaps that’s why it never went anywhere. While the series has experimented with spin-off games, it keeps things simple and safe with mainline installments.
Anyway, as always, feel free to leave a comment or two letting us know what you think or hit me up on Twitter @Tyler_Fischer_ and let me know over there. What do you think of this canceled Pokemon game?
H/T, Nintendo Everything.