Thanks to a massive Pokemon leak, fans have ample details about three games in the series that are in development at Game Freak.
When gamers think of the most trigger-friendly gaming company when it comes to taking legal action against others, Nintendo is usually the first name to pop up. From taking down emulator developers to suing Palworld, Nintendo has a reputation for doing things its way. Testing the company’s patience has proven to be a dangerous thing.
Because of this, it was surprising that Game Freak experienced a massive data breach that leaked the studio’s data. Among toilet Pokemon and other concept art, the leak gave information multiple other Pokemon games that are in development.
Pokemon Legends Z-A
Nintendo officially revealed Pokemon Legends Z-A in February 2024 through a reveal trailer.
Pokemon Legends Z-A is the only game involved in the leak that Game Freak has officially confirmed to be in development. Slated to come out in 2025 for the Nintendo Switch, the game will take players back to Lumiose City, a city that was first revealed in Pokemon X and Y as part of the Kalos region.
Not much is known about Pokemon Legends Z-A aside from speculations about the story and Zygarde’s importance in the game. It was known that Mega Evolution would play a pivotal role in the upcoming game, and the Game Freak leak revealed some potential new evolutions fans can expect.
Pokemon Gaia, with versions K and N
The Game Freak data breach revealed the 10th generation of Pokemon is being developed with the codename Gaia, with versions K and N.
Gaia is a titan from Greek mythology, K and N are taken from the game’s Japanese names. Like other new regions, the upcoming games will take players to a new region, which seems to be an archipelago of many islands. The “Gaia” name and the archipelago-like region has led to speculation that the game could take place in an area modeled after Greece.
Pokemon Gaia is apparently in development for Switch 2. However, a base Nintendo Switch version is also being tested. Mainline Pokemon games usually come out on established software, but the Switch 2 is likely to be cemented long before the gen-10 Pokemon games launch.
The 10th Pokemon generation is set to be a big one. Game Freak has undergone numerous changes as a studio. The first real taste of that will be these Gaia games.
Pokemon Synapse
A multiplayer Pokemon game is in development in partnership with ILCA, though details on this game are scarce.
ILCA has developed multiple Pokemon games and apps before, including Pokemon Sleep, HOME, and the Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl games. The studio’s history already confirms Pokemon Synapse will be a spin-off game.
Pokemon Synapse sparked widespread discussion about an MMORPG, but it’s unlikely this is the case. The game has been compared to Splatoon 2, though it’s unclear what this actually means. The game could be a live-service project akin to Pokemon Unite. On the other hand, Pokemon Synapse may also be similar to the Battle Revolution games. The Nintendo Wii games had the same turn-based combat but incorporated darker themes and different visuals.