A Pokémon game that was only accessible for a brief period in Japan 20 years ago has reportedly surfaced on eBay, with a price tag of approximately $9,000. Pokémon Fishing Contest DS was available in 2005 at special events and Pokémon Center locations, functioning as a high-score contest.
The game was distributed via Nintendo DS Download Play and, like other titles of its kind, was not saved to the handheld's internal memory, disappearing after the system was powered down. Its limited availability and temporary nature led to the software being considered lost media.
What has appeared for sale is a Nintendo DS test cartridge containing the game's files. These development cartridges typically protrude from the console and were reserved for internal testing by Nintendo and third-party developers. While they were occasionally sent to media for previews, they were required to be returned. The seller, based in Germany, stated that the cartridge was acquired from a private collection and lacks provenance documentation. When tested, the cartridge boots to a Japanese-language screen that appears to be a high-score ranking communication program.
It remains unclear if the cartridge contains a fully playable version of Pokémon Fishing Contest DS or the server code intended for collecting high scores. The eBay listing specifies that functionality beyond booting to the ranking screen has not been tested or is guaranteed, and the item is sold "strictly as a physical item as-is." Compatibility with the DSi and 3DS has not been confirmed.
Fans responding to the listing have expressed hope that the cartridge will be purchased by someone dedicated to game preservation, with the aim of sharing its contents with the wider Pokémon community. As of this writing, the auction has not yet received any bids.