Most recent in a string of Nintendo-related data breaches this week is one at Game Freak, developers of the mainline Pokémon games. Although details are still unclear, internal pitch documents and roadmaps for the studio's next five years of output have leaked onto gaming forum ResetEra, covering the next main game, the next spinoff Legends game, and even a larger RPG project.
According to the leaked documents, Game Freak's next five years look like this:
- 2026 – Pokémon Gaia (Gen 10: "Wind / Waves")
The next mainline generation, codenamed Gaia, is allegedly targeting a 2026 release, with DLC expansions planned through 2027. The leak also includes both a "visual target" and an early prototype screenshot — suggesting a more ambitious graphical style than Scarlet and Violet.- 2027 – Pokémon Legends: Ringo (Galar)
Replacing earlier rumors of Legends: Galar, the project now appears to focus on a time long before Poké Balls and cities — roughly a thousand years in the past.
Concept art reportedly shows stone-made Poké Balls, trainers and Pokémons surrounding a Campfire & Cauldron, and untouched landscapes — possibly linked to the "Past" Paradox Pokémon introduced in Scarlet and Violet. The tone evokes a raw, survival-driven adventure exploring the origins of Pokémon-human coexistence.- 2029 – Project Seed
Perhaps the most talked-about revelation, Project Seed is described as "a new kind of Pokémon RPG" connecting all four Japan-inspired regions — Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh — into a single adventure. Concept art shows travelers journeying across massive interconnected environments, fueling speculation about an open-world remake or spiritual successor to the early generations.- 2030 – Generation 11
The leak concludes with a reference to "Gen 11," scheduled for release in 2030. No codename or details are currently known.
While Project Seed certainly sounds more promising than the studio's recent output — Arceus knows they definitely have the budget to get more ambitious, if not the motivation — I would temper expectations, because this is still Game Freak we're talking about. They know very well that even the laziest possible product will still sell like hotcakes, making their evolution over the past decade more of a race to the bottom than anything. Still, the allure of nostalgia is a powerful one…
