Summary
Pokemon’s original games in the West could have been wildly different for their initial launch, according to an interview with a former Nintendo of America boss. The multimedia monster-catching franchise has become a worldwide sensation in the nearly thirty years sincePokemon Red and Greenoriginally debutedin Japan. The franchise has seen massive success with everything from its video games and anime adaptations to the overwhelming popularity of thePokemon Trading Card Game. However, new information reveals that an initial concept forPokemoncould have vastly changed the franchise today.
Pokemonhas seen a wide variety of different ideas explored through its games, both within the main series and spinoffs. The franchise has experimented with multiple other genres, leading to racing games likePokemon Dashand strategy games likePokemon Conquestalongside its standard monster-catching formula. The franchise has even added more casual, lifestyle-focused games to its repertoire, likePokemon Sleepas aPokemon-themed sleep tracker. A recent interview reveals thatPokemon’s initial Western release could have seen its entire concept changed.
Pokemon was Almost A Baseball RPG in the West
As reported by NintendoLife, a recent interview with former Nintendo of America marketing boss Gail Tilden reveals a major change that was considered by the American division. Tilden shares that Nintendo of America had expressed its doubts about the franchise’s success in the West, given its heavily Japanese-inspired characters and concepts. Nintendo of America reportedly considered changing the game’s aesthetic to be more “gritty,” even considering changing the main premise from the iconic creatures to a baseball league. However, Tilden confirmed that Nintendo of America quickly scrapped the idea of changingPokemon,given thePokemonfranchise’s explosion in popularityin Japan.
WhilePokemon’s potential conversion to a baseball RPG may seem odd, the franchise came as somewhat of an oddity for its release.Pokemon’s original release on the Game Boy arrived fairly late into the handheld console’s original lifespan, withPokemon Red and Bluelaunchingin the West nine years after the Game Boy’s launch.Pokemon’s overwhelming popularity even served to reignite sales of the Game Boy, with worldwide sales for the first generation of games topping 31 million copies. The associated trading card game has also grown to become one of the most well-known and highly-regarded TCGs in the world.
Pokemon’s colossal success in its early days cemented the franchise as a mainstay in pop culture that has remained relevant nearly three decades after its debut.Pokemon’s most recent main-series games saw meteoric sales that rivaled even the series' early popularity, withScarlet and Violetselling more than 25 million copiesas of September 2024. The franchise also recently made waves with its anime adaptation, withPokemon Horizonsending Ash Ketchum’s more than two-decades-long run as the anime’s protagonist. While Nintendo of America may have had early concerns aboutPokemon, the franchise’s success has certainly spoken for itself.
