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New leaked Pokémon game could have beaten Palworld

Along with other internal, scrapped or in-development material that has leaked out of the Pokémon series, it was revealed that the franchise could also have its own Palworld Competitor in the form of an unreleased MMO codenamed rodeo. Released in 2024, PalworldIts popularity grew quickly, at least in part because it offers an experience that was missing from the rest Pokémon Franchise that uses a similar monster collecting formula, but in the context of a cooperative open-world basebuilding game in the spirit of ARK.




The unpublished rodeo The game could have offered players a similar experience years before PalworldPublication. The game had apparently been in development since 2019 and was apparently intended to offer a broadly similar multiplayer experience, but perhaps with a greater focus on riding and battling Pokémon. At the moment, rodeoDevelopment appears to have been canceled internally and it is likely that the leaked form of the game will not be released, but there is a possibility that another project with the codename Synapseis a revival of the concept in development.


Codename Rodeo lets you ride Pokémon around

Rodeo's leaked gameplay shows a co-op Pokémon action game


Judging by the leaks (via CentroLeaks on X, formerly Twitter), the gameplay of the leaked game is rodeo MMOThe focus is mainly on the mechanics of riding Pokémonprobably as a more detailed version of the mechanics introduced in Pokémon Sun and Moon and later expanded Legends: Arceus And Scarlet and purple. Leaked videos (which have since been removed from CentroLeak's post) show a protagonist riding a Garchomp, Decidueye, Electivire, or Samurott, with the player seemingly having the ability to control the mounted Pokémon to engage in real-time action battles in the third person to start. Additionally, videos showed that the player could also send out other Pokémon to carry out attacks.

Other leaked features include the ability to customize Pokémon with color markings and a “gun” that resembles a paint sprayer and is intended for an unspecified use.


Unfortunately, there is no video showing exactly what the game would have looked like in action, but from the descriptions it seems that rodeo would have been a cooperative game about catching and riding Pokémonpotentially resulting in the gameplay loop being similar to games like Monster hunter. Anyway, the leaked version of rodeo seems to have been a step away from the mainline turn-based combat Pokémon Games with a greater focus on action and possibly exploration.

Codename Rodeo isn't exactly Palworld, but it's close

Rodeo is a similar concept to Palworld, but there are key differences


While the game could be compared to Palworld, There seem to be some key differences. Especially if you look at the leaked material, rodeo Doesn't appear to have included any base building or resource gathering mechanics, which make up a large part of it Palworldis the gameplay, and although the forest environment seen in the leaked videos could indicate a fairly open environment, it is also unknown if rodeo would have been a truly open world experience. Finally, while Palworld lets players primarily control their self-created character in combat, rodeo would have apparently focused more on controlling the Pokémon.


However, the concept of a co-op game about battling Pokémon in third-person action combat is similar to the type of combat found in Palworldespecially when it comes to the game's numerous raid bosses and the leaked concept art for them rodeo contains a type of “weapon” that the protagonist could potentially have used in battle. In addition, riding on palaces is an important means of transportation Palworldwhich gives it at least another superficial similarity to the unreleased concepts for rodeo. More importantly, If you're just in a niche that's similar enough, the games would be in competition.

If Pokémon had released this game, Palworld's story might be different

Rodeo's release would have competed more directly with Palworld

palworld-wallpaper.jpg

While the leaked version of rodeo differs significantly from Palworld, The games have enough similarities that if rodeo was first released, Palworld might not have taken off as well as it did. Despite PalworldThe call before launch was:Pokémon with Weapons, the game serves a valuable niche and offers a completely different style of play than anything currently released Pokémon Game. If rodeo had already been published previously PalworldHowever, when 's launched, it might have attracted enough viewers Palworld may not have had the same success.


With how PalworldIn fact, it turns out that the game basically has very little direct competition after its releaseas Pokémon offers nothing like it and the monster collecting aspect is what sets it apart from others ARK or rust. Of course there are enough differences between them Palworld and the leaked version of rodeo that it is likely Palworld would still have been successful, but the game might not have attracted as many spectators if there had already been one Pokémon Game operating in a broadly similar area.

Pokémon should still release its Codename Rodeo game

A released version of Rodeo could be a breath of fresh air for Pokémon

Pokemon Codename Rodea Weapons and Art


Currently the status of rodeo is unknown – while the Synapse Project unveiled by the Pokémon There has been speculation that leaks are a revival of the rodeo concept, nothing was explicitly confirmed and the game could have changed drastically in the years since rodeo was in development. Regardless of whether it is currently in the works or not, The rodeo Premise has the potential to be a huge successespecially on the back PalworldThe success. While the game was presumably canceled for unknown reasons, reviving the project could see it fill a niche that no other offers Pokémon game serves.

If Synapse is a version of. currently under development rodeo, Releasing the game on Nintendo's next console could be just the thing Pokémon needs to shake up the franchise and offer a different type of game for players who are tired of the mainline series. Of course, the developers would have to be careful that the disappointing start of is not repeated Scarlet and purplebut a revived one rodeo The project could end up being one of the biggest draws for the Switch's upcoming successor.


So while rodeoas it was developed in 2019, the leaked project was most likely canceled Synapse Could still be the co-op Pokémon Project that fans have been waiting for and something that approaches the same niche as Palworld. While it's too late to defeat it Palworld To get to the point at this point, a published version of the rodeo The project could still attract an audience that has also grown weary of the mainline Pokémon Formula.

Source: CentroLeaks/X

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