Pokémon is a well-known media series that has led to the creation of fan-made games within the Pokémon universe. These games include changes to existing games or the development of larger, complete games. Fan projects have gained many supporters and formed a dedicated group within the Pokémon fan community. Many of these projects have faced legal threats from The Pokémon Company and Nintendo, which carefully protect the franchise's intellectual property. As a result, some games were removed from official platforms shortly after release and are now shared among fans through unofficial methods.
History, purpose, and community
Since the first Pokémon games were released, fans have changed them in different ways. Early tools like GameShark and Action Replay let players alter games to get special items or rare Pokémon more easily. As video game emulation became common and allowed games to be played on computers, fans started making full changes to games. These changes, called ROM hacking, became popular in the Pokémon community and stayed popular as technology improved. A pair of unofficial games, Pokémon Diamond and Jade, inspired by the Keitai Denjū Telefang series, were early examples that influenced many ROM hacks.
ROM hacks often add new content, such as different storylines, new game rules, or features not in the original games. Some create entirely new games unrelated to Pokémon. Most follow the same story structure and style as official games, using similar maps and plot points. Many ROM hacks improve the game experience by adding features from newer games to older ones or making more Pokémon species available. Some include elements not normally found in official Pokémon games, such as references to mature themes, strong language, or violent scenes. Others add made-up Pokémon species called "Fakemon."
Another type of fan-made game, called fan games, is harder to create and uses special tools instead of changing existing games. These games often take years to develop. In 2007, a tool called Pokémon Essentials, based on RPG Maker XP, made it easier for fans to create fan games. This helped more people make these games.
Fan games and ROM hacks are widely enjoyed by the Pokémon community. Some popular fan games have many players. A writer named Patricia Hernandez from Kotaku said, "fan games have always been a big part of the culture" in the Pokémon community. Though making fan content was once uncommon, Pokémon Essentials helped make it easier for fans to create games. Because of this tool, many fan games use a 2D art style. Online groups, like Relic Castle and PokéCommunity, have formed to share and discuss these games.
Legal issues
The Pokémon Company and Nintendo have tried to stop changes made to their Pokémon games. Newer games in the series include more ways to prevent people from modifying them, which is meant to reduce hacking. Legal action is often threatened against fan-made games and changes to existing Pokémon games. However, companies usually take a more neutral approach toward small changes and do not directly target many games. Alex Tutty, an IP media strategist, told Wired that Nintendo sometimes takes action against fan games to prevent a franchise's intellectual property (IP) from weakening. He explained that not acting on fan-made games could be seen as neglecting the company's responsibility to protect its IP. Ryan Morrison, a lawyer, told PC Gamer that free fan-made games could harm sales of official Pokémon products. Don McGowan, a former lawyer for The Pokémon Company, said he monitored games covered in the press but only took legal action if a fan-made game received money. Junichi Masuda, the producer of Pokémon games, said he appreciated people who create games or art projects and encouraged them to apply for jobs at The Pokémon Company.
Because of websites like YouTube and Twitch, fan-made games now get more attention than before. This increased attention has led to more fan games being shut down by Nintendo and The Pokémon Company. Examples include the fan-game Pokémon Uranium and the ROM hack Pokémon Prism, which received a cease and desist notice before its release. In 2024, the website Relic Castle, a major hub for fan-made Pokémon games, was taken down by Nintendo and The Pokémon Company due to copyright issues.
The risk of legal problems has made many fan-game creators avoid promoting their work. ROM hacking communities also try to stop the sharing of pirated copies of Pokémon games used for hacking. They encourage people to buy official copies instead. Sharing modified games is difficult because it is not allowed to share official Pokémon games, whether changed or unchanged, and because of challenges with game systems' firmware.