Long-Lost Pokémon Game Apparently Pops Up on eBay After 20 Years — Though You’ll Need $9,000 to Buy It
A rare Nintendo DS cartridge containing what appears to be the lost Pokémon Fishing Contest DS has surfaced on eBay for approximately $9,000. The game was an extremely limited experience, available exclusively at select Pokémon Center locations and special events in Japan between May and August 2005, distributed via the Nintendo DS’s Download Play feature, which wirelessly transmitted temporary game demos to handheld systems.
The fishing-themed title tasked players with catching Pokémon, with scores determined by each creature’s size, level, and rarity. Caught Pokémon could have their scores submitted to participating Pokémon Centers, creating a competitive element. However, the game had a critical limitation—it could not be saved and automatically deleted when players powered down their handheld, making it an intentionally ephemeral experience that existed only in the moment.
For two decades, the title was presumed lost due to its temporary nature and the absence of traditional cartridge distribution channels. The unexpected discovery of this test cartridge was highlighted by preservationist Tiramisu090401 on social media, generating significant interest from collectors and gaming historians. The emergence of this artifact represents a notable recovery for video game preservation, retrieving a piece of gaming history that many believed had vanished forever with the Nintendo DS era.