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Major Pokémon leaks revealed an unreleased series that would have been the first official spinoff anime in nearly two decades

The Pokémon The fan base was in a frenzy over a massive leak of Game Freak's internal data, which revealed a number of previously unknown projects. These newly revealed projects also include a new anime series known only as “Project Reload,” marking the first time there will be two Pokémon Anime has been broadcast simultaneously since 2005.




The Game Freak leak surfaced over the weekend of October 13, 2024, and included a truly ridiculous amount of data stolen from game developers' internal servers, including everything from beta Pokémon designs to development tools to unannounced projects. Surprisingly, this information also included data on various other non-video game projects related to Pokémon also, including a lost film that would have previously replaced Ash Pokémon Horizons.


The unannounced Pokémon series would have significantly changed the anime format

Project Reload would have been a massive change to the anime formula


Originally reported by @CentroLeaks on Pokémon Horizonswhich was codenamed “Verne” and finally debuted in 2023. According to the tweet Project Reload was supposed to be a 12 episode series and not a long running series like that Pokémon Anime fans know it. The plan was to make the series available via a streaming platform (exactly which one appears to be undecided) and to be released in series of three episodes each, with the series initially debuting in a theatrical release in Japan.

This also differed from Pokémon's miniseries, such as Paldean winds And Twilight Wingsthat contained mini-episodes of 10 minutes or less. Project Reload was intended to have full, 21-minute episodes, similar to a normal half-hour anime episode. 12 episodes is a fairly traditional length for an anime series and suggests that this would have been more likely the case Pokémon origins Specials that are set in their own continuity and tell their own story. If it had debuted next to it Horizons In 2023 it would have been the first time that two different full-length pieces would have been created Pokémon Anime series that has aired since then Pokémon Chronicleswhich followed supporting characters from the main anime.


Will this lost Pokémon series ever see the light of day?

The fate of Project Reload remains unknown

Unfortunately, there is very little additional information about Project Reload or what happened to it. It is unknown how far into production the series was and whether it is still in production to this day. It was stated that the production studio would be the same as Twilight WingsStudio Colorido, co-produced with Twin Engine. The Twilight Wings The animation was quite nice, so the series would definitely have looked very different from the main series. Project Reload was apparently intended to be an all-ages series, making it somewhat different from the primary anime series that was more aimed at children.


Because so little is known about the project, it is impossible to say whether Project Reload will still be released at some point in the future or whether the series has been abandoned. Combined with what is known about the lost Pokémon It seems like The Pokémon Company and Game Freak wanted to broaden the film's appeal Pokémon to older fans to avoid the impression that Pokémon is only for children. Since none of these projects came to fruition, they seem to be struggling to do just that without alienating their core audience.

Pokémon: Ash looks confused.

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Studio Colorido is known for producing the anime bleaching Spin off burn the witch, and is currently in a deal with Netflix, with its latest release being a 2024 film titled My oni girl. It is not clear whether this would have affected their ability to work on Project Reload or whether this occurred after the project ended. Twin Engine is the parent company of Studio Colorido and was involved in the production of Vinland Saga And Hell's paradise Anime, among many others. It's certainly a respectable pedigree for one Pokémon Series.

The idea of ​​one Pokémon Anime with a runtime of 12 episodes and fantastic animation that tells a single story is certainly one that many fans like Pokémon would love to see it become a reality. Hopefully Project Reload isn't completely on hold and could still make a surprise debut at some point in the future. Unless additional information emerges from the leaks, it's really impossible to say whether this could have been the series long-time fans have been dreaming of. For now, however, it just needs to serve as a look at a Pokémon Anime that could have been.


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