Rare Nintendo DS Cartridge Sparks Hope for Lost Pokémon Fishing Game Preservation
A rare Nintendo DS development cartridge has appeared for sale on eBay, drawing major attention from retro gaming fans and Pokémon preservationists. The cartridge is listed for €7,999, roughly $9,100, but the high price is not the only reason collectors are watching it closely. What makes the item especially interesting is the possibility that it may be connected to PokéPark Fishing Rally DS, a lost Pokémon mini-game from 2005.
The cartridge was listed by eBay seller “catbearpaws,” who describes it as a physical Nintendo DS development or test cartridge. According to the seller, it was acquired as part of a private lot, and there is no additional history or documentation proving its origin. However, the cartridge reportedly works on a standard retail Nintendo DS and boots to a Japanese-language screen referencing a high-score ranking communication program.
That detail has sparked speculation that the cartridge could be related to PokéPark Tsuri Taikai DS, known in English as PokéPark Fishing Rally DS. The software has long been considered lost media because it was never sold in stores and was only available for a limited time through DS Download Play events in Japan.
PokéPark Fishing Rally DS was a small Pokémon fishing mini-game distributed in 2005 at select Japanese locations, including the PokéPark theme park in Nagoya, Pokémon Centers, and Pokémon Festa events. Availability lasted only from May to September of that year, making it one of the rarest pieces of Pokémon software ever released.
In the game, players could cast a virtual fishing line and reel in Water-type Pokémon such as Magikarp and Feebas. Scores were based on factors like a Pokémon’s level, size, and rarity, with players competing for leaderboard rankings. Because the game was designed around temporary event play, it was never released as a physical Nintendo DS game card for the public.
That is exactly why this newly listed development cartridge has caught so much attention. Since PokéPark Fishing Rally DS was distributed through DS Download Play, players who tried it at the time did not keep the software permanently. Once the Nintendo DS was powered off, or after a limited period had passed, the downloaded mini-game disappeared from the system. As a result, no confirmed playable ROM of the game has surfaced publicly.
The listing gained wider attention after Pokémon preservationist Professor Rex shared it on social media, noting that the software connected to the PokéPark Fishing Tournament had seemingly become available for sale. Preservation fans are hoping the cartridge ends up with someone who can properly archive and study it, especially if it contains any recoverable data from the original 2005 event.
However, excitement is being tempered by caution. Some fans who translated the Japanese text shown on the cartridge’s boot screen say it appears to read “Ranking Transmission.” If accurate, that could mean the cartridge does not contain the full PokéPark Fishing Rally DS mini-game. Instead, it may only include communication software used to send or manage leaderboard data during the original event.
Even if the cartridge turns out to be a ranking or communication tool rather than the complete game, it could still be an important discovery. Development cartridges, event utilities, and test software can provide valuable insight into how limited-time Nintendo DS events were organized. For Pokémon historians and preservationists, even partial data connected to PokéPark Fishing Rally DS could help document a nearly forgotten piece of franchise history.
For now, the true contents of the cartridge remain uncertain. Without a proper dump and analysis by preservation experts, no one can say whether it includes the lost Pokémon fishing mini-game, leaderboard software, or some combination of event-related tools. Still, the listing has reignited interest in one of the most mysterious Pokémon DS releases and reminded fans how much gaming history can disappear when software is tied to temporary events.
Whether this cartridge becomes a major preservation breakthrough or simply another fascinating artifact from Nintendo DS history, it has already captured the imagination of collectors, Pokémon fans, and lost media researchers around the world.
