Forgotten Pokémon spin-off may finally release after 3 years of silence


An image of pikachu on a background of a Pokémon spin-off game

The Pokémon franchise is no stranger to obscure spin-offs, especially ones that don’t release. However, it seems that one of the more kooky Pokéadventures is finally coming out: Pokemon Sleep!

After three years of silence, a resurfaced Pokémon Sleep parent has been discovered. Found by Reddit user Milotic03, the once-intriguing Pokémon app may actually be returning to fans on mobile.

Upon a visit to the Pokémon Sleep website, the Redditor expected to be greeted by the same sleeping Snorlax that has been there for three years. Surprisingly, the Reddit user was redirected to a patent for the mobile app. However, anyone going to the website now will simply be sent to the main Pokémon website.

The app patent does not mention the Pokémon franchise by name. On the other hand, the patent does list the exact planned features of the assumed-cancelled mobile app as well as feature multiple diagrams including Pikachu, the franchise’s famous electric mouse.

“A user breeds a virtual life form by practicing good sleep habits and stays motivated toward practicing good sleep habits while enjoying breeding the virtual life form,” reads the app patent.

Announced back in 2019, Pokémon Sleep was revealed as part of a lineup of apps and games for the franchise. Alongside Sleep, The Pokémon Company also revealed Pokémon Home, Pokémon Masters and a Nintendo Switch port of Detective Pikachu. The latter never released as well.

Sleep was announced with a 2020 release date, and no one knows why the project has yet to ship. While it may not have been the most exciting project from the franchise, it was still an innovative idea and many are still looking forward to the sleep-tracking app.

Other apps with similar goals have released since Sleep’s reveal. For example, Pokémon Smile launched in 2020 as a way for children — and adult Pokémon fans — to get better at brushing their teeth. It turns out that letting you catch cute creatures is a great incentive to keep brushing.

Fans are hoping that Pokémon Sleep will be released sometime this year. After that, perhaps the fanbase will become hyper-focused on that Detective Pikachu port or, better yet, Detective Pikachu’s announced-but-missing sequel.

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