The original Pokémon was originally going to have over 65,000 versions

It’s hard to imagine that here we are, in 2022, and we’re still getting new details about the development of the original Pokémon games. I mean, these games are some of the most iconic and beloved titles in gaming history, so it’s surprising when something comes out that genuinely surprises us.

 

 

The latest Poké-discovery comes from the amazing folks at Did You Know Gaming who translated interviews from a 1996 Japan-only book called PokéDex that featured interviews with all of Pokémon’s original development team. According to programmer Takenori Oota, Pocket Monster Red and Green was originally supposed to have a system in place that would randomize the game based on the player’s unique Player ID assigned at the beginning of the game. What makes this even crazier is that there were over 65,535 total possibilities that would essentially make the game personal to each player. Takenori stated:

 

“We also considered having each game generate a random ID number the first time it was booted up, and that number would determine which Pokémon appeared in the game.”

 

But it’s not just the Pokémon that would have been different. In a separate interview in a 1997 issue of Famimaga 64 magazine, Game Freak founder Satoshi Tajiri elaborated on some of the additional changes that were planned. He stated:

 

“The shape of a forest, the Pokémon that appear — I wanted to make a game that would be different for everyone, but it was difficult. So I went to consult with Shigeru Miyamoto from Nintendo, and we ended up deciding to make it depending on the color, whether Red or Green. The worlds would be parallel but different.”

 

It’s absolutely wild to think just how different Pokémon could have been if some of these changes were to come to pass!

Special thanks to Did you Know Gaming for the amazing work they did translating and finding the original source material. Make sure to check out the entire video above for more details!

 

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