A significant leak has provided Pokémon fans with an unprecedented look at over 100 previously unseen designs from the development of Pokémon Diamond and Pearl. The material originates from a lost internal Game Freak documentary, created for staff as a record of their work, which has now been obtained and shared by fans.
The leak includes early drafts of known Pokémon, numerous entirely scrapped species, and proposed evolutions that never made it into the final games. Among the revealed concepts are discarded evolutions for Delibird and Kecleon, pre-evolutions for Stantler and Lapras, and potential baby forms for Plusle and Minun. Completely new Pokémon designs based on a crane, crickets, snails, molluscs, goats, mice, a platypus, and a swordfish have also been identified, alongside plant-based creatures resembling beansprouts and clover. The documentary also features alternative designs for the region's starter Pokémon, including a foam-headed Water-type dog and a Grass-type wolf.
This documentary, originally distributed to Game Freak employees on DVDs with strict confidentiality agreements, offers an unfiltered glimpse into the Pokémon design process. Game Freak typically guards this information with considerable secrecy, making such an open reveal unlikely today. The footage also contains nearly an hour of content filmed within Game Freak's offices, showcasing employees at work and during leisure, as well as the evolution of the Sinnoh region's design from sketches and maps to physical block models.
Fans have expressed considerable excitement over the leak, viewing it as a valuable preservation of gaming history. The revealed cut content provides insight into the many ideas that were considered and ultimately discarded during development. This leak rivals the scale of the Pokémon Teraleak incident from a few years ago, which stemmed from an unauthorized breach of Game Freak's internal servers.
Intriguingly, the documentary may also offer clues about future Pokémon releases. The notes indicate that some designs shown closely resemble Rowlet and Sandygast, which were eventually released in later generations. A particular design of a yellow Shellos has also drawn attention, with fans speculating it may appear in upcoming titles like Pokémon Winds and Waves for the Switch 2, following its mention in this year's Pokémon Pokopia.