Pokémon Scarlet & Violet players discover cut locations in game files

Pokémon Scarlet & Violet have secrets buried in their data.

Screenshot via Pokémon YouTube

Recommended Videos

Pokémon Scarlet & Violet dataminers have discovered unused locations within the game files, suggesting that there were places that the developers couldn’t finish in time, so they were scrapped at a late stage of production. This kind of cut content might not be too surprising, considering the rough state in which the Gen IX games launched, leaving many areas in the final release feeling incomplete. Either way, it’s certainly neat to get an inside look at content left on the cutting room floor.

Related: All Shiny locked Pokemon in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet

The first cut location is a home interior that Lewtwo discovered on Twitter. This location has several couches surrounding a table, and the walls are adorned with pickaxes, which makes sense, as it was intended for Zapapico. The house is close to completion, and it’s unclear why it didn’t make it into the game’s final version.

TatSUSgirl discovered the second location on Twitter, and it appears to be an early model for the Pokémon Gyms that the player visits throughout the game. The Gyms in Pokémon Scarlet & Violet all feature lobbies that the player needs to visit first, but the real challenges and battles take place in nearby areas, unlike the older games, where the Gym involves one location.

TatSUSgirl has since accessed the home discovered by Lewtwo but hasn’t been able to explore it thoroughly. While the purpose of the home hasn’t been confirmed, it was likely meant to be a house that the player could visit before the developers scaled back the towns and moved all the exciting elements to the streets.

The beta Gym design was likely a placeholder or a scrapped work-in-progress, and it’s unlikely that it will appear again. The same isn’t necessarily true of the cut home, as Pokémon Scarlet & Violet will likely receive DLC in the future, and the house may be used in a new area that is added to the Paldea region, similar to the Isle of Armor and the Crown Tundra in Pokémon Sword & Shield.