Pokemon’s unused Delibird evolution appears in official Gen 4 footage

An unreleased evolution for Delibird has appeared online nearly 20 years after it was created. The design was found in an internal Game Freak documentary covering the development of Pokémon Diamond and Pearl.

The footage is official development material, but The Pokémon Company did not release it publicly. Archivists uploaded the staff-only documentary after obtaining a physical copy of the DVD.

The unused design turns Delibird into a larger Christmas-themed Pokémon. It keeps the red-and-white colour scheme while adding features that resemble Santa Claus and the elves or gnomes often connected to him.

Its large tail also looks similar to the sack used for Delibird’s Present move in older Pokémon games. A separate unused Pokémon Platinum animation shows Delibird throwing a present with a similar shape, which may connect the two ideas.

The evolution appeared during the development of Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, which launched for Nintendo DS in 2006. Game Freak worked on the games for around two years, beginning development in January 2004.

The footage does not show how close the Delibird evolution came to being included. The documentary shows concept art, but no finished sprite, name, type combination or evolution method has been confirmed.

Delibird remains a standalone Ice and Flying-type Pokémon in the main series. It first appeared in Pokémon Gold and Silver and is best known for carrying food in its sack-like tail and using the unpredictable Present move.

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet later introduced Iron Bundle, a robotic Paradox Pokémon based on Delibird. However, Iron Bundle is a separate species and is not part of Delibird’s evolution line.

The documentary contains more than 100 early or abandoned Pokémon concepts from Diamond and Pearl’s development. Other discoveries include a Lapras pre-evolution, a Stantler pre-evolution, alternate starter designs and possible unused evolutions for several existing Pokémon.

The footage also includes beta versions of Dialga, Palkia, Arceus and a yellow form of Shellos. Some designs were changed before release, while others were removed completely.

Game Freak and The Pokémon Company have not announced plans to use the Delibird evolution in a future release. For now, it remains an unused Generation 4 design rather than a newly confirmed Pokémon. The discovery gives fans a first look at the evolution Delibird almost received in the Sinnoh games.