Pokémon fan games

Pokemon fan games are games built by fans of the Pokémon games. These games usually attempt to emulate the formula of the core series or specific , though rarely they may use the Pokémon in other ways. Many fan games are ROM hacks of existing titles. However, an increasing number of standalone titles have been built from scratch using separate development tools and game engines instead. Note that fan games are usually considered distinct from bootlegs, which are unauthorised copies of published games sold to consumers as if they were official.
==List of notable standalone Pokémon fan games==
This is a list of notable Pokémon fan games that were built from the ground up as standalone titles. 
For a list of notable fan games that were modified from existing core series games, see the .
===Pokémon Infinite Fusion===
Pokémon Infinite Fusion is a core series-inspired fan game developed by PokeCommunity user Schrroms and was released in 2015.Pokémon Infinite Fusion home page. (Pokemoninfinitefusion.net, accessed January 30, 2005)"What is Pokemon Infinite Fusion Explained." (Game Rant, August 21, 2023, by Drew Sanson) The game's core mechanic is the ability for players to fuse two Pokémon together, offering a choice of two different fusion forms, amounting to over 200,000 possible combinations. The developer was inspired by Japeal's Pokémon Fusion Generator and uses custom sprites contributed by community artists, with new sprites added to the game on a daily basis. 
The fusion mechanic is accomplished using the DNA Splicers, a Key Item introduced in originally used to fuse with either or . In Infinite Fusion, the mechanic merges the two constituent Pokémon's types, and players can choose which moves, Ability, and Nature to inherit. The game follows the traditional core series formula, with the player challenging 16 Gyms across the Kanto and Johto regions in order to face the Pokémon League, while encountering Team Rocket along the way.
In late 2024, Infinite Fusion fell under scrutiny after descriptions were added to populate the game's massive Pokédex."Pokemon Infinite Fusion, AI descriptions, Sprite removal: What’s the controversy." (Sportskeeda, December 26, 2024, by Aashish Victor) Many community artists who contributed sprites disagreed with the decision to incorporate generative AI, leading to calls for the removal of their work. The developer initially declined, citing technical difficulties in removing such a large number of assets. However, on Christmas Day, it was announced that the AI-generated entries had been removed, and an automated system was implemented to delete sprites as requested. The developer defended the initial decision as an attempt to enhance the player experience but acknowledged that the community's concerns took priority. The announcement was met with mixed reactions, with some praising the decision, and others finding the tone of the message to be dismissive.
===Pokémon Uranium===
Pokémon Uranium was made using the engine and was released in 2016, after 9 years of development.Pokémon Uranium is a brand new game made by fans (Metro.co.uk, August 9, 2016)Fan-made Pokemon Uranium launches after 9 years of development (CNET, August 11, 2016, by Daniel Van Boom)Fans Come Together To Create The Original Unofficial Pokémon Uranium (Game Informer, August 10, 2016, by Kyle Hilliard) The game adds 166 original Pokémon alongside a new region, Tandor. Similar to the official games, Uranium contains both online trading and online battling.Despite Takedown, Pokémon Uranium Creators Say It's 'More Alive Than Ever' (Kotaku, August 15, 2016, by Patricia Hernandez) In August 2016, after one and a half million downloads, the download links for the game were taken down from the official website because the developers wanted to "respect Nintendo's wishes", after learning other sites that offered the download received DMCA takedown notice letters from lawyers representing Nintendo.Fan-made Pokemon Uranium is shelved by its creators after Nintendo notices (Polygon, August 14, 2016, by Owen Good)How Pokémon Uranium and a community of amateur developers is walking the line between love and theft (PC Gamer, August 27, 2016, by Steven Messner)Important Message from the Uranium Team (Twitter) The following month, the developers announced that they had officially ceased development of the title and shut down the website and servers.How Pokémon Uranium and a community of amateur developers is walking the line between love and theft (PC Gamer, August 27, 2016, by Steven Messner) Following the announcement, community members created a new website and continued to develop patches for the base game, including bug fixes and new features.Info - Pokemon Uranium (www.pokemonuranium.org)
==References==
==Related articles==
* ROM hack
* Bootleg
Category:Pokémon meta
Category:Games
Category:Fandom