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Often, Pokemon leaks cause a stir because they reveal what’s to come. That was the case with a massive leak that wound up spoiling several Pokemon Legends: Z-A mega designs. And fans are eager for any and all possible leaks related to Pokemon Winds and Waves while we wait for actual news. But a new leak is taking Pokemon fans all the way back to Gen 4’s Pokemon Diamond and Pearl with behind-the-scenes footage.
The new intel comes from a never-released behind-the-scenes documentary of the making of Pokemon Diamond and Pearl. It contains footage from the game’s two-year development period, which was recorded but never released to the public. Now, a team of archivists reportedly including Pokemon creator Lewtwo, has posted the documentary to the Internet Archive. Almost immediately, Pokemon leaker account @CentroLeaks began circulating screenshots of several early Pokemon designs seen in the video. And they include some real lost opportunities.
Pokemon Diamond and Pearl Leak Shows Off Unreleased Pokemon, Including One That Could Return in Pokopia
The file that supposedly contains the unreleased documentary was posted to Archive.org on July 22nd. It features an in-depth look at the making of Pokemon’s Gen 4 games, including some peeks at early Pokemon designs. Some, including beta markups for the Gen 4 starter lines, did eventually wind up in the game in a more polished form. There’s also an early look at Bidoof, the meme-worthy icon, that proves it was always a top-tier design.
Even the concept of Bidoof is peak pic.twitter.com/UJRCNg4PEd
— Glen "The Wealth" Chechik (@glen_wealth) July 22, 2026
But plenty more of these early Pokemon concepts have never before seen the light of day. Fans have been quick to pick out a few select designs from the lineup of concepts that never wound up in the final game. Players are mourning some of the more creative scrapped beta designs, including one that looks like a muscle shark and an adorable flower-like Pokemon that would’ve almost surely been a Grass type. And some of the designs are pretty compelling. As one fan on X puts it, “we were robbed.” But while many of these designs are likely lost to the sands of time, plenty of them look to have inspired Pokemon from later generations. And one unreleased beta could be staging a comeback.
Im so sad this got scrapped pic.twitter.com/r1UtA6Oo43
— HeyItsJustAaron ❤️🔥 (@HeyItsJustAaron) July 22, 2026
Many gamers familiar with Pokemon Pokopia spotted what’s almost certainly an early concept for a yellow Gastrodon. Pokopia alludes to just such a Pokemon’s existence, leading many fans to speculate it could be added in the upcoming Pokopia DLC. Now, it looks like the idea for a yellow regional form of Gastrodon has been in the works since way back in Gen 4. Of all the unused designs, this looks to be the only one that’s poised for a potential comeback.
Game Freak opted not to release this documentary to the public, instead retaining it as an internal reference for the developer. But now that it’s out there, fans are devouring the new footage from the making of one of Pokemon’s most beloved generations. Even if we never got some of these beta designs, Pokemon Diamond and Pearl gave us plenty of beloved Pokemon and lore. And there’s always a chance some of these concepts will go the way of Pokopia‘s Yellow Gastrodon and re-appear when we least expect it.
What do you think of these concept Pokemon designs? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the Forum!
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