The deluge of information purportedly hailing from an information breach at Game Freak continues, as leak accounts share all sorts of in-development imagery for what they say is Pokémon Wind and Wave, the next generation of Pokémon. The media included in these leaks show fan-favorite characters like Pikachu and Charizard, but the models look slightly different from what players might expect after Pokémon Sword and Shield.
In the case of Pikachu, the new render makes the electric rodent slightly rounder, with softer edges. Fans note that this version of Pikachu more closely resembles the design it takes when artists do illustrations for concept art, the card games, or the anime series. It’s also possible that these changes aren’t final. After all, these are supposedly leaks of in-progress game development.
Charizard, on the other hand, can only be seen via an unfinished 3D model, which leaves out things like coloring. But even in this state, differences are noticeable. Charizard’s horns, for example, are elongated and the dragon’s face also appears slimmer compared to its most recent apparitions.
Pokémon like Pikachu and Charizard are arguably the face of the franchise, so it’s not terribly surprising that a new mainline game might tinker with their appearance. Most Pokémon games see slight variations in depictions from title to title without invoking a compendium-wide refresh. But leakers say that the content they’re looking at shows a range of creatures with spruced-up appearances, like Machamp and what appears to be Seaking. These models are even rougher than Charizard’s, or only offer a partial view of the overall design. Still, it’s obvious that changes are afoot.
Full-scale facelifts for the entire zoology of animals are a rare occurrence in the mainline series, and a resource-intensive one. Once, Game Freak claimed that it could not include every single monster in the larger roster of over 1,000 Pokémon because it was redoing the models of the creatures it did include. Some fans compared models and determined that Game Freak appeared to simply reuse old assets. Just as likely, though, is that design updates can sometimes be extremely subtle or not noticeable through 3D wireframes over, say, the coloring. All of which is to say that if Pokémon Wind and Wave turn out to be real, and if Game Freak does update the appearance of its monsters, you shouldn’t expect an experience that looks drastically different from what is present in Scarlet and Violet.
Still, the larger art direction and gameplay emphasis might provide a breath of fresh air. As leakers tell it, Wind and Wave are supposed to be survival-oriented experiences where islands are procedurally generated. Players will apparently be able to explore the jungle wilderness alongside the depths of the sea floor. To some extent, both of these ideas have appeared in older Pokémon games. Wind and Wave purportedly aim to take those concepts to the next level. Early screenshots, should they prove to be real, show environments that are brimming with greenery and wild monsters.
The end product may well differ from anything that’s being shown in the leaks, given that Wind and Wave haven’t been announced yet and are supposedly still in development. But leakers assert that the game will see a graphical jump from previous titles as Game Freak adopts a new engine — and this time, the game won’t have to run on the original Nintendo Switch.
All of this information hails from what fans are calling “teraleak 2.0,” which refers to an information leak that purportedly outlines what the next five years of Pokémon games will look like. Beyond the 10th generation of games in Wind and Wave, leakers say that Game Freak is also developing a multi-region title that includes multiple areas from previous games mashed together in one experience. Another apparent title that’s in the works is being referred to as Pokémon Legends: Galar, which would be the third title in the Legends series. Inspired by Xenoblade Chronicles X, Legends: Galar will supposedly be set 1,000 years in the past and will allow players to roam with a large pack of monsters.
Nintendo and The Pokémon Company have not confirmed the veracity of the leaks, but earlier this year the Japanese company filed a subpoena to figure out the identity of whoever triggered the original “teraleak.” If these assertions prove to be true, the specifics they outline may not match the final outcome. After all, some games mentioned in the latest leaks won’t be out for many years, which is enough time for ideas to change or be scrapped.
