The Pokémon series is no stranger to odd mysteries and rumors, with some of the most famous dating back to the first generation of Pokémon titles. There's even been plenty of modern mysteries around the more recent games as well, including the time when many thought a graphical glitch in Pokémon X & Y was a reference to MissingNo. These contemporary rumors are often easily fact-checked by the internet and data miners, which happens to be the case in New Pokémon Snap, the long-anticipated sequel to the Nintendo 64 original.
One such rumor that's cropped up recently on social media is that shiny Pokémon can appear in New Pokémon Snap, with a few supposed screenshots showing off shiny versions of multiple different Pokémon. Unfortunately, it appears as though these screenshots have been edited. Data miners have actually found evidence that shiny Pokémon couldn't exist inside New Pokémon Snap.
One screenshot of a supposed shiny Pokémon that's been going around social media is of a shiny Lapras. Eagle-eyed fans were able to spot that one of Lapras' fins wasn't properly recolored from blue to pink. This isn't the only evidence that points towards shiny Pokémon not being in the game, as data miners have already uncovered Snap's entire roster.
Data miner SciresM posted the roster on Twitter, showcasing two major details about the game's available Pokémon. The first observation is that shiny Pokémon are not in the files. The second observation is that there are some blank spots in the roster currently being reserved by New Pokémon Snap's code, but they don't leave enough room for shinies.
When spots in a game's data are left intentionally blank, that's usually a strong indication that they'll be filled by future DLC or updates. It may also point towards unreleased content, though there isn't too much evidence suggesting that New Pokémon Snap has cut content as of yet. Regardless of what will eventually fill these blank spots in New Pokémon Snap's roster, it's safe to say that there are no shiny Pokémon in the game.
Some of the other Pokémon shown off in this data mine are regional and gender variants of Pokémon, which some have mistaken for shiny Pokémon online. Shiny Pokémon are simply palette swaps that keep the same pattern and character model as the original. Whenever a new model or pattern is involved, it means it is a different kind of variant, not a shiny.
Any screenshot of New Pokémon Snap that shows a shiny Pokémon is fake, but this trend does reveal that people would love to encounter these rare creatures. While the current data mined evidence seems to suggest that shiny Pokémon aren't able to be added to the game, there could still be some kind of DLC or update in the future that manages to implement them. Even without shiny Pokémon, there are still tons of different pocket monsters to get great photos of.