The Spaceworld ’97 demo of Pokémon Gold and Silver provided an early glimpse into what would eventually become iconic entries in the Pokémon series, showcased at the Nintendo Space World event from November 21 to 23, 1997. At this juncture, the development of Pokémon Gold and Silver was incomplete, with their launch initially planned for the original Game Boy—this was months before the announcement of the Game Boy Color in March 1998.
The journey from the demo to the official release in late 1999 was fraught with delays and significant changes, including a comprehensive revamp of the game. The period from its unveiling at Nintendo Space World ’97 to its release on November 21, 1999, saw substantial alterations to its content and design.
For many years, the specifics of the Spaceworld ’97 demo remained a mystery, largely because access to much of its content was restricted. It wasn’t until 2018 that the broader public got a closer look, when anonymous sources leaked the demo files for both Pokémon Gold and Silver online. These leaks included versions equipped with debug menus, revealing previously inaccessible parts of the games.
A full list of full resolution sprites and additional information can be found at this page. Dr Lava also has a couple videos covering some of these lost Pokemon.
Credits: TeamSpaceWorld / Obskyr / Dr Lava
What’s also really cool is the game also had an interesting set of sprites for the original Kanto pokemon as well.
Credits: TeamSpaceWorld / Obskyr / Dr Lava
