A large amount of previously unseen content from the making of Pokémon Diamond & Pearl has been released online. The leak includes an internal documentary created by Game Freak, showcasing many Pokémon designs that were considered but ultimately cut from the fourth generation games.
The Pokémon series is known for having information revealed before official releases. This includes the original Pokémon Gold & Silver demo from Spaceworld ’97, which showed an early version of the Johto region, as well as more recent leaks like the Nintendo Gigaleak and Teraleak. These leaks contained many designs and ideas for Pokémon and game features that were ultimately cut. Although some people may not approve of how these leaks happen, they provide a fascinating glimpse into the development process and what Pokémon could have been.
Over 100 Unused Pokémon Designs Have Leaked Via Game Freak Documentary
The documentary Make All, which details the development of Pokémon Diamond & Pearl, was recently acquired by Neos, a collector of rare Pokémon items. The Lewtwo YouTube channel has published a comprehensive analysis of the documentary, and their website showcases all the designs that were cut or altered during the game’s creation.
As a huge Pokémon fan, I was blown away by the Make All documentary! It finally gives us a peek behind the curtain at Game Freak, the company that makes Pokémon games. They’re usually super private about their development process and how they choose which Pokémon appear in each game, so getting to see how they created Pokémon Diamond & Pearl was seriously amazing. It’s a real inside look at how these iconic games are made!
The Sinnoh Region Could Have Looked Very Different
The designs of these Pokémon went through a lot of changes! For example, Turtwig started as an armadillo, Infernape was much larger with a fiery tail, and Piplup was designed with a puffy, parka-like covering. Drifblim resembled a zeppelin, Purugly was originally much thinner, Hippoptas was blue in color, and Croagunk actually looked like a real frog. Even legendary Pokémon like Dialga and Palkia once had wings, and that’s just a small glimpse of how different they used to be.
Several original Pokémon, like Lapras, a Christmas-themed Delibird, Stantler, Kecleon, Plusle, and Minun, were planned to have additional evolutions or previous stages. These ideas might reappear in the upcoming game, Pokémon Winds & Waves, which is currently the subject of rumors.
Many designs never made it into the game, including some really creative ideas! These included a woodpecker balancing on its tail, various birds like cranes, unique Pokémon such as a Sphinx cat and even a thinking sandcastle (before Palossand!), plus more unusual concepts. There was an ice-fanged sabertooth, a fruit bat Grass starter, a foamy poodle Water starter, a monster inspired by Cthulhu, a lion made of plants, a spooky black goat, several mice, a peacock Pokémon, a lizard that looked like cabbage, an adorable snail, a dragon with a chainsaw for a head, and a cool swordfish that walked on two legs.
What’s truly impressive about these discoveries is that nearly all of them were completely unknown from earlier leaks of Pokémon Diamond & Pearl. This highlights the incredible amount of effort put into developing the Sinnoh region, and suggests it could have looked drastically different if the developers had chosen a different set of new Pokémon.
2026-07-22 23:47