How much do you know about Pokémon’s history? Did you know that the Pokémon Company design team were once toying with the concept of a miniature wargame? 

Following the immediate success of the card packs Pokémon attempted an expansion into miniatures with a wargame! Before Necrons and Aeldari it was Charmander and Snorlax on the battle fields. Players were encouraged to collect miniatures and create their very own Pokémon visuals before entering into melee.

While internally the Pokémon battle-game was testing well, it was the higher-ups at at Nintendo that decided to cut the game entirely. Cancellation of the project is rumored to be due to Nintendo's strict representation values, worrying that the freedom of players painting their own Jigglypuff electric blue instead of it's charming blush pick would be a tarnish on the great Pokémon brand! After the freeze on miniatures the company pivoted to promoting the brand with a new television show 'Pokémon' and the scandal was promptly forgotten. But the designers never forgot.

After lying in limbo for a few years, designers of the Pokémon wargame revived the project with a new coat of acrylic paint, swapped creatures for armored soldiers, and pitched the concept to multiple publication studios. Eventually picked up by Games Workshop in the UK, Warhammar 40,000 quickly became the scifi battlefield we know and love today. But imagine what the gaming world would look like if it was never cancelled! Instead of buying card packs you'd be buying miniature pokemon to design to your hearts content! What a world.