Pokemon has a classic characteristic of releasing its games in two variant versions since the start. For example, users always had to buy them in a set like Pokemon: Black and White and Pokemon: Sun and Moon.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
But what if we told you that GameFreak had planned on releasing 65535 variants of the Pokemon Red and Blue? Strange right? Well, it is true. A gaming YouTube channel confirmed this information in their June 11 video. They also spoke about Shigeru Miyamoto, the game’s designer, who had different plans for the game.
Shigeru Miyamoto’s out-of-the-box thinking helped in the success of Pokemon Red and Blue!
GameFreak originally intended for every copy of Gen 1 to be personalized, but Shigeru Miyamoto had different plans. He requested them to make different color versions instead. Nobody quite understood this move but ended up trusting his gut as the man had devoted his life to the game. Interestingly, Miyamoto mentioned a crucial point that implementing 65,000 palettes was extra work. Hence, it was better to limit them to two pallets.
For those uninitiated, in Gen 1’s version, when you boot up a new game, it randomly assigns you a Trainer ID number between 1 and 65,535.
WATCH THIS STORY: From Espeon to Gallade, ranking the most overrated Pokemon in Pokemon Legends Arceus
This ID system is actually a leftover from a time when there were 65,535 different versions planned.
In a 1996 Japan-only book ‘PokeDex’, programmer Takenori Oota revealed: ‘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.’
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Satoshi Tajiri’s insightful meet-up with Miyamoto changed his entire perspective!
As we all know, Satoshi Tajiri is the man behind the Pokemon franchise. Although, there can be times when his creativity reaches its limits, resulting in a thought blockage. A 1997 Famimaga issue can confirm this as Tajiri revealed a meetup with Shigeru.
He believed that it changed his entire perspective about Pokemon Red and Blue. He said, ‘The shape of a forest, the Pokémon that would 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 so that depending on the color–whether Red or Green–the worlds would be parallel, but different.’
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
DIVE DEEPER: $2300 Pokeball Ring Serves as the Ideal Wedding Gift for Avid Pokemon Fans
What are your thoughts about this? Let me know in the comments section.