Pokémon Gold and Silver's Celebi shrine mystery was an accident, GameFreak admits Eurogamer.net If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy. Pokémon Gold and Silver's Celebi shrine mystery was an accident, GameFreak admits 20 years past its Celebi date. News by Tom Phillips Deputy Editor Updated on 18 Sep 2019 6 comments Pokémon Gold and Silver's mysterious Ilex Shrine location famously left Game Boy owners puzzled. Visit the forest location and it is obvious something is supposed to happen there. But nothing ever does. On internet message boards and in playgrounds, rumours circulated there was a way of summoning up Gold and Silver's mythical Pokémon Celebi by doing a specific thing, or bringing a specific item. Ilex Shrine. Nothing to see here. And it made sense - Celebi is stated to be the Guardian of Ilex Forest, and its Pokémon data was known to exist within the game's files. But Celebi was not catchable in Gold and Silver. Fans would have to wait another year, and buy another version of the game, to be able to access the mythical green turnip. And even then, it was only officially released via events in Japan. Now, in a new video interview with GameFreak staff translated by Siliconera, Celebi designer Hironobu Yoshida has said the team were initially confused by reports Celebi was catachable in Gold and Silver. "The leading rumour in Japan was that you needed to bring both the Rainbow Wing and Silver Wing to the shrine, which would make Celebi appear," Siliconera reports. This was not the case, though it was used in Nintendo DS remakes Pokemon HeartGold and SoulSilver as a nod to the theory. The onion fairy itself, Celebi. "Yoshida's theory is that, as back then they would use additional sprite parts to give texture to rooftops, staircases, rocks, and more, they might have added in the shrine with these additional sprites just to spruce up the area. Basically, it was probably just part of the background. "So if Celebi wasn't planned for the shrine, what was it there for? According to [art director Takao] Unno, nobody remembers what the shrine is for among the original staff. That's the true mystery behind Celebi." Become a Eurogamer subscriber and get your first month for £1 Get your first month for £1 (normally £3.99) when you buy a Standard Eurogamer subscription. Enjoy ad-free browsing, merch discounts, our monthly letter from the editor, and show your support with a supporter-exclusive comment flair! Support us View supporter archive More News Splatoon 3 Amiibos will be out next month Ink-coming! 3 Fans think Phil Spencer's shelf is teasing the Xbox Game Pass streaming box UPDATE: Xbox confirms old Keystone prototype. 61 Modder dives into Demon's Souls files following PS5 jailbreak, discovers fabled Ring of the Chieftain Who knows what's nexus? 4 Google announces cloud gaming Chromebooks less than a fortnight after Stadia shutdown GeForce Now preinstalled. 11 Latest Articles Digital Foundry Sennheiser's legendary HD 599 open-back headphones are just £70 at Amazon in the Prime Early Access Sale Comfortable with neutral sound and a wide sound stage. Preview Football Manager's new Console edition is the best you'll get without a PC Getting Touch-right. 1 Splatoon 3 Amiibos will be out next month Ink-coming! 3 Fans think Phil Spencer's shelf is teasing the Xbox Game Pass streaming box UPDATE: Xbox confirms old Keystone prototype. 61 Supporters Only Premium only Off Topic: Take a minute to appreciate Cookin' with Coolio's incredible scallops recipe. What a great book. Premium only Off Topic: Reading City of Glass in comic form "Where exactly am I going?" Premium only Off Topic: Il Buco is a transporting film about a really big hole Underlands. Off-Topic Netflix handled Sandman brilliantly It was Dreamy. 9 Buy things with globes on them And other lovely Eurogamer merch in our official store! Explore our store