Some Pokemon material was also unearthed as part of the massive Nintendo leak. But rather than just beta material and source code for released games, the creature collection franchise had something bigger. Specifically, the leaks indicate a massive but shelved mainline title. It was not only meant to be for the Game Boy Advance, but also the PC, and the latter version would also use the former as a controller.
Nintendo Everything reports that part of the leak involves a PowerPoint presentation dated November 2004. In it were plans for a Pokemon game by iQue, the company’s Chinese subsidiary. It had most of the elements of a traditional Pokemon game, with a few key differences. And one of them is a heavy emphasis on online connectivity.
While offline, the game would’ve had a story and features from Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen. But while offline, only 30 creatures will be available, with more being unlocked when connecting to the game’s server.
And whenever a player goes online, the Pokemon unlocked will be based on their region, where players in different regions will have different critters unlocked for them. This addition in the available roster will remain in place until the next time the player goes online. The available pocket monsters will then be updated accordingly. To a very minor extent, we now see this in Pokemon Go instead.
Then there’s the complex breeding mechanic. In addition to just the parents, an egg – and what hatches from it – will also be affected by other variables. This include the game server’s real time clock, weather report, and nearby Pokemon birth rate, among others. There would’ve also been a tournament mode that’s heavily inspired by the Pokemon Coliseum.
All this points to what could’ve been a live service Pokemon title. It ultimately never happened, but it sounded like it could’ve been a cool pseudo-MMO for the franchise. Instead, the next big thing we’re getting will likely be a MOBA, of all things.
(Source: Nintendo Everything. Image: Wikipedia)
