Game Freak reportedly nearly partnered with iQue to create a Pokémon MMO

Details about a scrapped MMO pitch have been discovered.
Screengrab via Pokemon

With all of the Nintendo leaks coming out over the last few days, unused assets, source code for various games, and canceled projects have been laid out for fans to look over. 

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One of those leaks included the basics for a partnership between Game Freak and iQue, a Chinese game development and software translation company co-founded by Nintendo, which could have resulted in a Pokémon MMO.

Based on the leaked files, iQue was working on a prototype Pokémon game in 2005 that could be played by connecting the Game Boy Advance to a PC through various cables to allow for online play. The game would have also offered offline portions that could be played independently on the handheld device. 

Pokemon Fire Red and Leaf Green, the Game Boy Advance titles released in 2004, were the basis for this new venture. The online code was reportedly going to be created using the 2004 GameCube title Pokémon Coliseum

Related: Nintendo leak shows unused Pokémon Diamond and Pearl assets, includes beta sprites and scrapped designs

The offline portion of the game reportedly would have included around 36 Pokémon and a story based on Fire Red and Leaf Green. Both battling and trading would still be usable without an internet connection, but hatching eggs, the wireless connection between players, and the full list of Pokémon would only be available when connected to a PC. 

The core concept outside of online Pokémon distribution would have been the server updating information on the cartridge that would lead to weather changing based on regional information, online tournament, capture, and treasure hunting modes, and more in a 3D display. All of this would have been done through the new connection cable while players still used their Game Boy Advance as the controller. 

The entire iQue presentation for the pitch is available to view on Twitter, including a detailed breakdown of the features, mechanics, and how things would have functioned.


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Lead Staff Writer for Dota 2, the FGC, Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh!, and more who has been writing for Dot Esports since 2018. Graduated with a degree in Journalism from Oklahoma Christian University and also previously covered the NBA. You can usually find him writing, reading, or watching an FGC tournament.