Leaked Pokémon Game Has Everyone Making The Same Comparison
"Pokémon" with guns, but for real? Suddenly, it's even less surprising why Nintendo's suing "Palworld." In October 2024, Game Freak, the company behind development of the Pokémon franchise, confirmed that it had been the victim of a significant data breach two months prior. The hack resulted in the illicit leaks of a vast trove of data related to the "Pokémon" series, including source code for DS games "Pokémon Heart Gold," "Pokémon Soul Silver," "Pokémon Black 2," and "Pokémon White 2."
The leak also distressingly resulted in the exposure of personal data regarding Game Freak's employees, but the aspect that's catching the most attention now involves Pokémon projects that have yet to be released — or in some cases, even announced. According to NintendoEverything, one curious project found in the leaks is reportedly a "Splatoon-like game" with the code name "Synapse."
Pokémon meets Splatoon in an allegedly leaked game
According to the Spanish-language Pokémon site "Centro Pokémon," posting on X with the account "Centro Leaks," "Synapse" (also referred to as "Rodeo" in apparent leaks) appears to be an "online co-op Pokémon battling game" which has been in development in some form or another since 2019. Allegedly leaked Japanese-language concept documents seem to indicate that the game has been in development for both Nintendo Switch and smartphones, and appears to involve taming and riding Pokémon to attack other players. In case you're wondering how far the "Splatoon" comparisons go (beyond a paint-splattered protagonist), one way of attacking appears to be using guns — that's right, just like "Palworld."
NEW POKÉMON GAME LEAKED:
Codename Rodeo, this seems to be the multiplayer game we reported a few days ago (seems to have been reborn as codename Synapse).
It's an online co-op Pokémon battling game.
GAMEPLAY VIDEOS INCOMING pic.twitter.com/RP0sCKnmHI
— Centro LEAKS (@CentroLeaks) October 21, 2024
If you've been following SVG's coverage — or video game news in general — you know that "Palworld" is the hit game for Windows, Xbox, and PS5 that involves catching and taming monsters in a very "Pokémon"-inspired fashion. Seemingly not-so-"Pokémon"-inspired is the fact that these monsters often end up equipped with some heavy artillery, with guns ranging from small arms to missile launchers. After eight months of "will they/won't they," Nintendo and the Pokémon Company pulled the trigger on suing "Palworld" developer Pocketpair for alleged infringement on multiple patent rights. Now, with the Game Freak leak revealing what appears to be an official project where it's "Pokémon with guns," some fans on the internet believe the rationale behind the lawsuit feels even more obvious.
No wonder why they sued Palworld. https://t.co/wXILKWmqyi
— Joseph Pega (@Joey_Pega) October 21, 2024
The future of Pokémon still seems wide open
Despite the obvious comparisons, it remains to be seen if Nintendo will prevail in the lawsuit, with questions still remaining about whether the company has a monopoly on "Pokémon-style" games. It also remains to be seen whether or not this supposed "Synapse" project will ever see the light of day, either on Nintendo Switch and smartphones or the long-awaited Switch follow-up.
In addition to the alleged Synapse project, the Game Freak leak also includes information on a wide variety of Pokémon-related projects, including a build of the already-announced Pokémon Legends game "Z-A", unused Pokémon character designs from multiple games in the series, and codenames for the 10th generation Pokémon games – "K" and "N," which appear to be in development for the Switch and so-called Switch 2. According to IGN, there's even information in the leaks about a sequel — or sequels — to the 2019 movie "Detective Pikachu."
All in all, the ill-gotten data is a treasure trove for "Pokémon" fans anxiously waiting for news of the franchise's future, though only time will tell what projects actually come to fruition. But what do you think? Would you put down "Palworld" for an actual "'Pokémon' with guns?" Or would you rather Game Freak focus on something a little more traditional? Whether the company wants it or not, fans are going to have plenty to say about these big potential plans for the future of Pokémon.