A new Game Freak design from Pokemon‘s past has appeared online, showing what a scrapped Delibird evolution looked like, or might look like if one is added in the future. 2026 marks the 30th anniversary of the Pokemon franchise, and this is far from the first time that unreleased Pokemon appear online, either through leaks or official posts. In this case, the Delibird evolution was part of the planned lineup of Pokemon for Generation 4, Pokemon Diamond and Pearl, and it comes from a DVD showing Game Freak at work on the games in 2004.
Similarly, an old design for a potential Lapras pre-evolution in Pokemon appeared online after 20 years, given that it was planned for Gen 4, but first designed sometime between 2003 and 2004. While this is not a leak, as the DVD was allegedly acquired lawfully at an auction, the franchise has seen a plethora of leaks regarding unreleased Pokemon over the years. One of the biggest was in Gen 9, when the entire Pokedex leaked online around one week before the games were released. Some leaks have also shown up for Gen 10, though they cannot be confirmed right now.
Pokemon Shows Official Unreleased Delibird Evolution in Gen 4 Documentary
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Image via Pokemon TCG Pocket -
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The “Pokemon Diamond and Pearl: Behind the Scenes DVD — MAKE ALL” documentary surfaced online recently, including pictures of many released beta designs and unreleased Pokemon. The DVD was revealed when it was listed at an auction earlier this year. Lately, a collector by the name of Neos was able to acquire a copy of the DVD, and the contents were then shared online. Among the many Pokemon in the documentary is a new version of Delibird, this time not like the futuristic Iron Bundle, but a design that builds more on Delibird’s Christmas themes by making the Pokemon look like a bird version of Santa Claus.
Who’s That Character?
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
The unreleased Delibird evolution is shared on lewtwo.net as a beta sketch, but it was never released. The documentary includes many early sketches for Pokemon that were eventually released, though, such as Pokemon Scarlet and Violet‘s Baxcalibur and Tandemaus, Pokemon Sun and Moon‘s Sandygast, and more. Fans can also see early designs for popular Gen 4 Pokemon, such as the starters, their evolutions, Dialga, Palkia, and even Arceus. These iterations didn’t come to pass, but obviously shaped the Pokemon that fans know today.
Pokemon‘s yellow Shellos and Gastrodon also make an appearance, with their first mention being in this year’s Pokopia, stating that researchers were studying yellow forms of these Pokemon. It seems that these designs may come back in Gen 10, if Pokopia lore is anything to go by. After all, many beta designs for Gen 4 found their way into the franchise at a later date, so it would make sense for the hyped yellow Shellos and Gastrodon to follow suit.
Even the unreleased Delibird evolution could join the mix, though this is the first time it’s mentioned and shown to the world. Fans will have to wait and see if Pokemon Winds and Waves‘ brand-new Pokemon will include some of the scrapped designs from Gen 4, but it could very well happen.
- Released
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2027
- Multiplayer
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Online Co-Op, Online Multiplayer
