The ‘Teraleak’ that recently hit Game Freak has revealed a smorgasbord of information about thePokemonfranchise. Included within the mass quantities of leaked information is some data on an upcomingPokemonGen 10 title, one with multiplayer features.
The internet has been lit ablaze bythe leaks emerging from Game Freak, which started spilling forth earlier this month. This Teraleak is said to be the biggest leak to ever emerge from the franchise, and this can be seen in its contents. Dozens upon dozens of scrapped and prototype Pokemon have been leaked, in addition to pages of scrapped bios and lore. Moreover, unreleased Pokemon andPokemongames, geared for Generation 10, have also been unveiled.
Pokemon’s Leaked Multiplayer Game, Pokemon Synapse, Explained
Among the Teraleak’s contents,a multiplayerPokemongame was leaked. Considering that Game Freak has yet to make a statement on thePokemoncontent leaked, least of all this game, details are incredibly murky and have allowed some misconceptions to form. CodenamedPokemon Synapse, this title was previously suspected to be an MMO when the leaks were new, though leak aggregator Centro Leaks on X has stated that this is not the case. Therefore, there is a great deal of uncertainty over what shapePokemon Synapsewill take.
Pokemon Synapse Will Allegedly Look Like Splatoon
The firmest details aboutSynapseto comefrom thePokemonleakshave been the studios purported to be behind it. According to Centro Leaks, the “battle-focused” multiplayer game will be a collaboration between Game Freak and ILCA. ILCA has been working onPokemonsince at least 2020 withPokemon Home, though it is perhaps more known for its work onBrilliant DiamondandShining Pearl.
This collaboration was, to an extent, forecast earlier this year, when The Pokemon Company established a new subsidiary in Pokemon Works, stationed in the same building as ILCA. Pokemon Works' purpose is currently unknown, but its closeness to ILCA certainly shows growing ties between the latter company and Game Freak, and will supposedly manifest inPokemon Synapse.
On the matter of gameplay,thePokemonTeraleak’s scopehas unearthed the idea thatSynapsewill resembleSplatoon. Though it’s unlikely thatSynapsewill be a paintball turf war, this comparison has largely been drawn to refute the notion that the game will be an MMO. Thus, the idea that the game will resembleSplatooncould mean that the title will be more of a match-based multiplayer experience, and possibly even a live service. This is all speculation, however.
As part of the leaks surroundingSynapseandotherPokemonprojects, screenshots of files have been going around. A screenshot found on the Centro Leaks X account has shown eight files related to the game, most of which have fairly unremarkable names. There are two files with the word ‘kaiwa’ in them, (kaiwa and kaiwalist), which could be in reference to a Japanese word for conversation—though this is in contrast to all other terms being in English.
What Synapse Could Mean For The Franchise
It’s no secret that Game Freak has been delving more into the online gaming scene, especially after the success ofPokemon GO. Given the comparisons toSplatoon, it’s possible thatSynapsecould be going further than ever before—a real competitor in the online AAA scene.
Unfortunately,onlinePokemongames are increasingly associated with avarice. Not only are the monetization decisions made withPokemon GOa subject of constant controversy but excessive microtransactions were a major point of criticism for the recentPokemon Unite. Nothing is known about whatSynapse’s monetization will look like, or indeed if the game will have any microtransaction-level monetization, and only time will tell how any of these leaked details may or may not take shape in the future.
