Editor’s Note: The leaked images that were previously featured in this article have been removed due to a Digital Millenium Copyright Act claim from The Pokémon Company International, Inc. (“TPCi”).
Pokémon Sword and Shield are just two weeks away from release and both Nintendo and Game Freak have been very selective in terms of what information gets out about the new games.
But in the home stretch, it appears someone has snagged a copy of the game and is now leaking information about some of the unrevealed creatures that make up the new Pokédex. The first of these new Pokémon that have been shown are potentially the second forms of Grookey and Sobble, two of the starter Pokémon in Sword and Shield.
Out of all the “leaked” designs for the Grass and Water-type starters thus far, these have a very familiar energy that makes them believable. Grookey’s evolution specifically sticks with what the design team said once about it having a simple design with a focus on easily showing emotion through the Pokémon’s face.
Both leaked evolutions also play into the running rumor that Sobble will eventually evolve into a spy-themed chameleon, while Grookey is set to take on the form of a gorilla with some type of drum worked into the design. Sobble’s evolution does look a little off, but the eyes are very expressive and give off the feel that it’s trying to sneak around.
It also matches up with the alleged leaks of the final evolutions for each Pokémon also being leaked.
None of these images have been confirmed by Nintendo or Game Freak, but the layout of the background, how the models look, and the timing of the leak points to these possibly being accurate.
Pokémon Sword and Shield will release worldwide for Nintendo Switch on Nov. 15. Be careful if you want to avoid any other spoilers, because they’re everywhere.
