This Leaked Pokémon Pokopia DLC Artwork Has Fans Convinced Shinies Are Coming

Snubbull shows up clearly in the artwork for the first time. The Fairy-type Pokémon had been completely absent from the official Expansion Pass trailer, which makes its appearance here one of the more concrete reveals tucked into the image. Its presence locks it in as part of one of the 2 upcoming content drops.

Manaphy finally gets a clean look too. The Mythical Pokémon had only flashed briefly at the tail end of the original trailer, but the artwork places it front and center. Its presence fits the underwater theme of Bubbly Basin and adds weight to the rumors around aquatic legendaries showing up in the DLC.

The most systemic detail is the accessories. Several Pokémon in the image are visibly sporting bowties, wings, and headpieces, which points to a full cosmetic customization system coming with the DLC. The exact scope is still unconfirmed, but the variety on display suggests something substantial rather than a one-off cosmetic drop.

The detail that’s really firing up the community sits elsewhere though. Sparkle effects glow around several Pokémon in the artwork, and a significant chunk of fans is convinced this is a deliberate tease that shiny Pokémon are finally landing in the game. For anyone who has burned hours soft-resetting in the mainline titles for an alternate color form, the idea of shinies dropping into a cozy life sim is a big deal.

There’s a real wrinkle to the theory though. Pokémon Pokopia runs on a one-of-each-species model, and introducing shinies as straight recolors would break that. A popular take suggests shinies would arrive as entirely new creatures rather than direct color swaps, in the same vein as Peakychu, Mosslax, and Tinkmaster, the unique forms already shipped with the base game.

Another theory revolves around the costumes themselves. The accessory system spotted in the artwork could function as a stand-in for shinies, turning existing Pokémon into shiny-adjacent variants through their outfits. That approach would let Game Freak keep the one-per-species rule intact while finally answering a long-running request from the shiny hunter community.

Part 1 of the Pokémon Pokopia Expansion Pass, called Bubbly Basin, unlocks in August 2026. That underwater area is already a substantial expansion in its own right, packing reworked Pokémon conversation systems, the new Dive move for Ditto, and the ability for follower Pokémon to use furniture like chairs and beds alongside the player.

Part 2 is slated for late 2026, and the leaked artwork points squarely at that wave. Snubbull, Manaphy, the accessory system, and potentially the shinies all seem to land in this second drop. The timing of the June 2026 leak lines up with an official announcement expected later this year ahead of the fall rollout.

Part 3 is still scheduled for 2027 with a brand new town to explore. Nothing in the artwork points explicitly at this final wave, which leaves Nintendo and The Pokémon Company in full control of the calendar. Fans who already locked in the Expansion Pass are now watching to see whether the leaked details hold up when the second drop is officially unveiled.