Everything We Learned About Upcoming Pokémon Projects From That Massive Leak

There isn’t too much information about upcoming games yet, but a few details about next year’s Pokémon Legends: Z-A have been released that aren’t story spoilers. Specifically, the fact that the game will include Mega Evolutions for Zygarde and Zeraora. The former isn’t surprising, as Zygarde will likely play an important role in Legends: Z-A story, which takes place in the Kalos region from which the legendary Pokémon is based. Zeraora is more surprising, however, because it has no connection to the region, as it was introduced in Generation VII.

We do know a little bit more about the next generation of Pokémon games thanks to the leaks, though they haven’t been officially announced as of this writing. While Legends: Z-A will be out for the original Switch next year, the upcoming Generation X games are apparently being made for the Switch successor with an original Switch version also being considered. These Generation X games will apparently take place in an archipelago of several islands. Fans are speculating it may be modeled after Greece as Scarlet and Violet’s Paldea region is based on the Iberian Peninsula. The pair of games are internally called Pokémon K and N in Japanese.

Also revealed in the leak is a game codenamed Pokémon Synapse, which is a multiplayer title (not an MMO, according to Centro Leaks) being developed by Game Freak in collaboration with Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl studio ILCA. The game has been compared to Nintendo’s turf war shooter Splatoon.

While Game Freak doesn’t make the Pokémon anime itself, it plays a crucial role in its creation, so there is some information about anime projects in the leaks, as well (though the status of these are more nebulous than the games). This includes details about the 24th animated movie codenamed “Project Bauer,” presumably a reference to television series 24’s protagonist Jack Bauer. The project has apparently been in development hell since 2021, but was pitched as a reboot for the movie universe and would feature a different protagonist from original hero Ash Ketchum or current leads Liko and Roy. The movie would take place entirely in the original Kanto region and only feature Pokémon that debuted in the first games, with Mew the main mythical character.

Also in the works is an animated series internally called “Project Reload,” which will consist of a dozen 21-minute episodes. It has been in development since 2022 at Studio Colorido, who previously worked on the Pokémon: Twilight Wings limited-run series.

Two live-action projects are also mentioned in the leaks, including the previously reported Netflix series. The only details are that the first season will be eight episodes long and that up to five seasons are currently being considered, but nothing’s been greenlit at this moment.

The most important project, however, is a sequel to the 2019 live-action Detective Pikachu film starring Ryan Reynolds. The film entered development in 2021 and was titled The Great Detective Pikachu. Kong: Skull Island director Jordan Vogt-Roberts signed on to direct the sequel, but the status of the film is currently unknown.

Not every leak has been about a new project, with a lot of the data featuring old assets from previous games dating back decades. This includes beta sprites for Pokémon from over the years, and even concept art for Pokémon that never ended up in a final game. There’s also some pretty fucked up folklore floating around the internet, but it’s unclear if they’re legit at this point. Hasn’t stopped fans from jumping on the jokes, though.