Products You May Like
Pokémon has always had two different versions, but before the original games were released on Game Boy in 1996, Game Freak had plans for something else.
In new translations of old Japanese interviews (via the YouTube channel Did You Know Gaming), it’s revealed how Game Freak wanted 65,535 different versions of the first generation Pokémon games.
This idea was tied to the Trainer ID system – where players would be assigned a number between 1 and 65,535. Depending on the number generated, their own experience would be slightly different – determining the Pokémon that appeared in each game, the shape of certain locations, and more.
This was eventually axed when Game Freak was visited by Nintendo’s Shigeru Miyamoto, who told the company’s founder Satoshi Tajiri that the idea might be difficult for players to grasp, and suggested a different colour palette instead (via VGC):
“I talked to Miyamoto about how we’d make players understand that every cartridge is different when they buy one, and he told me the system sounded interesting, but it was a bit difficult to grasp. He said if players can’t tell just by looking at it, then it won’t work out and it would be better if the games’ colour or appearance were different. “
And that’s how Pokémon Red and Blue (or Red and Green in Japan) came to be. One other version was eventually released – Pokémon Yellow, starring Pikachu.
Are you a fan of the two version release cycle with Pokémon? Have you decided which version you’ll be getting later this year when Scarlet and Violet arrive on the Nintendo Switch? Leave a comment below.