Originally Posted by Fat Cobraroll
If the list turns out to be fake, I kind of hope the creator will step forward, because as stated, it's a very well crafted "leak".
I'm no experienced Fakédex-er, but it appears he's been working on the material for a while. It seems like the list of Pokémon, Gym Leaders, etc, was created well beforehand. That really isn't the hard part, there are many people who have made something similar.
However, the way it was presented is rather well done. Instead of going all-out with everything, and have it written off as another wishlist, he first presented it as if he had very limited access to the stuff, recited from memory or brief info sheets. Quick descriptions from artwork, small overview of game features, some interface, etc. He refers to specific points in the trailer, having explanations for minute details, and so on. He has all the designs ready, all names and so on. However, to avoid inconsistencies, he pretends not to know much, instead portioning out his stuff little by little. This way, nothing he says goes against anyhting he will say later.
Later on, he appears to correct a misconception from his earlier post (the part of the trainers being non-customisable), as well as presenting a little more of his stuff. Still no names and no definites on the Pokémon side, but he's suspiciously specific when it comes to Gym Leaders, Elite Four, and place names.
The third update, he appears to have gutsed. Many people have pretended to work for GameFreak, posting tidbits of information that don't line up with each other. Eventually, people write off every new "leak" as just wishful thinking camouflaged as official leaks to generate discussion. Mr. XY could either keep feeding us more and more information until GameFreak decidedly blows his cover (by disproving stuff he said), creating a long-wided but low-intensity discussion, or go all out with his entire Pokémon list, using the momentum of his two other "leaks" to spur a super-intense discussion with a LOT higher risk of being disproven. Once GameFreak releases a single name that isn't in accordance with the list, the game would be over. However, until that happens, the discussion goes back and forth, generating more attention than all the other alleged "leaks" combined. It's a near-perfect trolling, its consistency and quality managing to even sway some sceptics. The names sound very much like something GameFreak would do. The types and designs are in accordance. Some names are very clever, seeming random at first but making sense if you know what they are referring to. New type combos are abundant, and many of them figure high on the "want list" of enthusiasts and competitive players. Old fan-favourite Pokémon receive evolutions. The list has lots of stuff the players want to see, lots of stuff we would expect to see from GameFreak, but it doesn't overdo it completely.
If this is fake, it has accomplished its objective. Every Pokémon fan site has a thread or two discussing it. Many fans have swallowed the bait completely. Many are sceptical (myself included), but even they agree this is very well crafted. Any news from GameFreak refusing what we've been presented could blow the list completely. On the other hand, any news from GameFreak not refusing it would just cause the debate to stir even higher.
If it's legit, however, Mr. XY should either be looking for a new job soon, or he has done his job well and generated a fantastic amount of PR. Whether or not his bosses wanted this to happen is uncertain, but either way it has got the fans pumped for the game.
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