THESE NEW LEAKS ARE WILD! POKEMON KING & QUEEN! Project Rex & Co-Evolution Gimmick!

Summary / Recap

The video is a deep-dive into major Pokémon leaks about an early, unfinished development concept for Pokémon Sword & Shield, centered on a project codenamed Project Rex. That concept later evolves into Project Orion, and finally ends up released as Sword/Shield.

Main Plot: What the Leaks Reveal

Project Rex: the earliest framework

The leaks describe Project Rex as the original foundation for Sword & Shield, including:

• Original working titles: “Pokémon King” and “Pokémon Queen”
• A provisional ~100 Pokémon Pokédex
• A major new mechanic: co-evolution
• A Britain-inspired setting with extensive mythology about giant Pokémon

How Rex’s ideas evolved into the final games

The episode explains that Rex’s concepts were gradually simplified and redesigned over time:

• Co-evolution develops into broader ideas involving “giant Pokémon” and power-up states
• By the time the final games arrive, the mechanic becomes Dynamax / Gigantamax and connects to raid battle structures

Story changes over time

The leaks also show notable shifts in the story’s major threat figure:

• “Joker” begins as a catastrophic, dark “main threat” concept in Rex’s era
• Later interpretations (Orion stage) move it toward an alien/cosmic comet–style threat, rather than staying as the exact original Rex form

Highlights: Standout Concepts

The co-evolution gimmick (the centerpiece)

Key ideas from the video:

• Concept: Two (or more) Pokémon temporarily cooperate/fuse, making one grow stronger—less like a single Pokémon power-up and more like a team transformation
• Gameplay vision: You’d catch the “component” Pokémon one by one, then combine them to create the transformation group
• Type interactions: Types would combine in interesting ways (examples include Fire + Electric = Fire/Electric, with additional variations producing unexpected combos)
• Co-op angle: Even co-op play is suggested—supports could temporarily pass types to the host rather than permanent fusion

Giant Pokémon mythology

Instead of being a side feature, giant Pokémon appear as central to ecology and progression:

• Giants mapped to types: There were envisioned giant Pokémon for each type, with giants tied to 18 type slots
• Myth layer (“eight bones”): A lore system involving eight ancient bone/metal fragments from a primordial giant that light up landmarks and drive progression

The legendary structure (King, Queen, Joker)

The video frames multiple legendary anchors:

• King and Queen as the core version legends, with “Ace” as a third rival/champion figure
• Joker as the ultimate dark threat:
  • Presented as enormous
  • Included an 8-stage evolution concept
  • Depicted as having power to dominate other Pokémon
• The episode highlights thematic parallels to later endgame threats (while not claiming a direct one-to-one identity)

Region and worldbuilding

Early worldbuilding details include:

• An early region name: “Tay(o)r” / “Taylor” (described as Britain with strong UK landmarks)
• A world divided by different “ages” (modern, medieval/tribal, and ancient natural zones), separated by a major wall—framing exploration as travel through changing eras and values
• Progression as eight challenges, each paired with a major battle against a “knight” using giant Pokémon—similar to gyms, but structured differently

Orion-stage social/tech features (more ambitious ecosystem)

Orion expands into a much larger connected experience:

• A separate smartphone app for training/collecting/prepping (framed like a Pokémon-go/companion mashup)
• Camping hubs for co-op play, cooking, temporary buffs, and celebration of evolutions
• Version league rivalry, such as “Red League” vs “Blue League”
• Raid-like group giant battles, including catch bonuses when multiple players contribute Pokéballs

The video emphasizes that this set of ideas was more ambitious than what eventually shipped.

Notable Tone Moments / Jokes

• The presenter repeatedly underlines the “crazy stuff” aspect and playfully riffs on the idea of Joker’s 8-stage evolution meaning you’d have to fight it eight times
• Light rhetorical speculation appears throughout, including guesses that some “placeholder” concepts could have influenced later mechanics (like Dynamax evolution logic or Mega/Z-move replacement ideas)

Why the Video Stands Out

It doesn’t just list leaks—it connects them into a development timeline:

Rex (King/Queen + co-evolution + giant myths) → Orion (Dynamax-like giant system + more public/televised league + smartphone/camping/ecosystem ideas) → Final Sword/Shield (Dynamax/Gigantamax and the eventual story direction)

The co-evolution mechanic and the eight “bones” giant mythology are presented as “what could have been” designs—more intricate than the final shipped gimmicks.

Personalities / Creators Mentioned

• HTV (main presenter/voice of the video)
• Mio and JRO (credited sources compiling leaked material on Pokeos.com)
• Mako (credited in the outro for compiling/crediting the information)