Cancelled Canon: 10 Cancelled Pokémon Games

Countless Pokémon games have been released over the years. However, for every released game, there is a game that was scrapped or never released...

By agramuglia

Published 4 years ago in Facepalm

Countless Pokémon games have been released over the years. However, for every released game, there is a game that was scrapped or never released in the states. These games are big empty spaces in Pokémon's history, leaving open questions as to what could have been. Here are those cancelled games.

1
When Pokemon Yellow was announced, there were early rumors of an additional game that was to be released – Pokemon Pink. The name is trademarked by Game Freak and Nintendo, lending credence that, much like Red and Blue, Yellow had its own side-game. It’s uncertain what the mascot Pokemon would have been, but most guess it was Clefairy, another candidate for Pokemon’s main mascot in the early days.

2
Pokemon Green was never truly released in the US. While American fans received Pokemon Red and Blue, Red and Blue were ultimately more similar to Pokemon Blue, which had slight alterations to the core game, including alternate pixel sprites. The original Green, however, was never released.

3
Pokemon Picross was an early game teased for release on the Gameboy Color, receiving even full spreads in Nintendo Power promoting it. However, the game was never released officially. While the full game can now be downloaded following leaks from Nintendo, it was put on the shelf. A Pokemon Picross game was later released for the Nintendo 3DS.
4
Of all the Pokemon games to never be released, Pokemon RPG is one of the most enigmatic. This was one of the many games set to be released for the N64 Disc-Drive, only to be eliminated when the Disc Drive add-on proved unpopular. Though many fans believe the game was later used as a basis for the Gamecube’s Pokemon Colosseum, there is so little information on this RPG that we cannot be certain it even got past the early planning stages.

5
Meowth’s Party was a tech demo used to promote the Gamecube during the 2000 Nintendo Space World convention. The game featured Meowth rocking out to several other Pokemon, and...that’s it. Meowth’s Party, much like the other tech demos at Space World used to promote the Gamecube, turned out to ultimately be just that: a demo. Elements of Meowth’s Party would later be used for Pokemon Channel. The game was also referenced in Super Smash Bros Melee in Meowth’s trophy, indicating there might’ve been more to this demo than initially believed.
6
Pokemon had a game released for the Sega Pico – a console for young children – during the early 2000s. Pocket Monsters Advanced Generation: Hiragana Katakana Kakechata! Is one of the few Pokemon games to ever be released on a non-Nintendo console. It’s an educational game designed to help young children learn. The game was never released in the West, in part because the Pico just wasn’t as mainstream as it was in Japan.
7
Much like Meowth’s Party, Nintendo released a Pokemon centric tech demo for the Nintendo DS. This demo was much like Hey You! Pikachu crossed with Nintendogs, with Players being able to interact with Pikachu through the touch pad. It presumably would have played much like those two games, though it was never developed into a full game.

8
Pokemon Purple is one of many names trademarked by Game Freak and Nintendo, but never turned into a Pokemon game. Many games – like Pokemon Scarlet or Pokemon Topaz – appear to just be alternate names considered for games that came out, like Pokemon FireRed or Pokemon Emerald. However, Purple stands in that it doesn’t have a clear equivalent. This has led some to speculate that it might’ve been its own title, before being scrapped. Many fans have attempted to create their own version of Pokemon Purple via ROM Hacks, which are all worth playing.
9
Pokemon Gray was believed for awhile to be the third game for the Fifth Generation of Pokemon games. However, it never saw the light of day. Rather, we received direct sequels to Black and White – Black 2 and White 2. Regardless, that doesn’t change how the idea of a traditional third game in the franchise was for awhile considered. After Pokemon Gray never materialized, Game Freak changed their whole approach to the third game in a generation.
10
PokePark Fishing Rally DS is an odd game, in that it technically existed…but only as a demo. The game could be downloaded as a temporary demo at kiosks, existing either for only twelve hours or until you turned off your DS. The game is a fishing sim with surprisingly solid mechanics, but the game was never released as anything more than a demo.