Along with other internal, scrapped, or in-development material leaked from thePokémonseries, it’s been revealed that the franchise could also have its ownPalworldcompetitor in the form of an unreleased MMO, codenamedRodeo. Released in 2024,Palworld’s popularity quickly took off, at least in part because it offers an experience that’s been missing from the widerPokémonfranchise, using a similar monster-collecting formula, but in the context of a cooperative open-worldbase-building game along the lines ofARK.
The unreleasedRodeogame could have given players a similar experience years beforePalworld’s release. Having apparently been in development since 2019, the game was seemingly going to offer a broadly similar multiplayer experience, but potentially with more of a focus on riding and battling Pokémon. Currently,Rodeo’s development seems to have been canceled internally, and it’s likely that the game’s leaked form won’t see release, but there is the possibility that another project, codenamedSynapse, is an in-development revival of the concept.
Codename Rodeo Let You Ride Pokémon Around
Rodeo’s Leaked Gameplay Shows A Co-Op Pokémon Action Game
Judging from the leaks (viaCentroLeakson X, formerly Twitter), the gameplay of theleakedRodeoMMOcentered mainly around the mechanic of riding Pokémon, likely as a more in-depth version of the mechanic introduced inPokémon Sun and Moonand later expanded inLegends: ArceusandScarlet and Violet. Leaked videos (which have since been taken down 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 third-person action combat. Additionally, videos showed the player being able to send out other Pokémon to use attacks as well.
Other leaked features include the ability to customize Pokémon with paint markings, and a “gun” resembling a paint sprayer with an unspecified use case.
Unfortunately, there’s no video that shows exactly what the game would have looked like in action, but from descriptions of it,Rodeowould have been a cooperative game about battling Pokémon to capture and ride, potentially making its gameplay loop similar to games likeMonster Hunter. Whatever the case, the leaked version ofRodeodoes seem to have been a step away from the turn-based combat of the mainlinePokémongames, placing more of a focus on action and potentially exploration as well.
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 toPalworld,there do seem to be some key differences. Notably, going by the leaked material,Rodeodoesn’t seem to have included any sort of base-building or resource-gathering mechanics, which make up a large portion ofPalworld’s gameplay, and while the forest setting seen in the leaked videos might point towards a fairly open setting, it’s also unknown ifRodeowould’ve been a truly open-world experience. Finally, whilePalworldhas players primarily controlling their own created character in combat,Rodeoseemingly would have focused more on controlling the Pokémon.
The concept of a co-op game about fighting Pokémon with third-person action combat, however, does resemble the kind of combat that can be found inPalworld, especially when it comes to the game’s multiple raid bosses, and the leaked concept art forRodeodoes include a sort of “gun” that the protagonist might have been able to use in combat. Moreover, riding Pals is a major mode of transportation inPalworld, lending it at least another superficial similarity to the unreleased concepts forRodeo. More importantly,just being in a similar enough niche would have put the games in competition.
Rodeo’s Release Would Have Competed More Directly With Palworld
While the leaked version ofRodeois distinctly different fromPalworld,the games have enough broad similarities that, ifRodeohad been released first,Palworldmight not have taken off like it did. DespitePalworld’s pre-launch reputation as being “Pokémonwith guns,” the game does serve a valuable niche, offering a drastically different style of gameplay than any currently releasedPokémongame. IfRodeohad been released beforePalworld’s launch, however, it might have ended up attracting enough of the same audience thatPalworldmight not have seen the same level of success.
With howPalworld’s release actually did turn out, though, the game essentially has very little in the way of direct competition, asPokémondoesn’t offer anything similar, and the monster-collecting aspect differentiates it from the likes ofARKorRust. Of course, there are enough differences betweenPalworldand the leaked version ofRodeothat it’s likelyPalworldwould’ve found success regardless, but the game might not have attracted as much of an audience if there was already aPokémongame operating in a broadly similar space.
Pokémon Should Still Release Its Codename Rodeo Game
A Released Version Of Rodeo Could Be A Breath Of Fresh Air For Pokémon
Currently, the status ofRodeois unknown - while theSynapseprojectrevealed by thePokémonleakshas been speculated to be a revival of theRodeoconcept, nothing has been explicitly confirmed, and the game could have changed drastically in the years sinceRodeowas in development. Whether it’s currently in the works or not, though,theRodeopremise does have the potential to be a big hit, especially off the back ofPalworld’s success. While the game was presumably scrapped for unknown reasons, a revival of the project could end up filling a niche that no otherPokémongame serves.
IfSynapseis a currently in-development version ofRodeo,the release of the game on Nintendo’s next console could be just whatPokémonneeds to shake up the franchiseand provide a different kind of game for players who are tired of the mainline series. Of course, the developers would have to take care not to repeat the disappointing launch ofScarlet and Violet, but a revivedRodeoproject could end up being one of the biggest draws for the upcoming successor to the Switch.
So whileRodeo, as it was being developed in 2019, has most likely been canceled, the leaked projectSynapsecould still be the co-opPokémonproject that fans have been waiting for, and something that approaches the same niche asPalworld. While it’s too late to beatPalworldto the punch at this point, a released version of theRodeoproject could still draw in an audience that’s similarly grown tired of the mainlinePokémonformula.
