Game Freak originally planned to make over 65 000 different versions of Red and Green Pokemon

Fans are still interested in the Pokemon franchise. With the new information about the games and the show being created, they will continue to be at the forefront of their attention. The DidyouKnowGaming team discovered some gems despite their deep dive into detail. They also found the rules for Freaks original, which is similar to the creators of the Pokemon franchise.

Satoshi Tajiri, the creator of Pokemon, said that Red and Green were initially created with the idea that each game would be unique with features that would make each player’s journey truly personal.

This could have been accomplished by assigning a number to each cartridge, such as 65 000. The number of entries received would determine if a Pokemon could be traded with another player. The games would have randomized Kantos map aspects, such as the form of the forests.

DidYouKnowGaming? Translated a Japan-exclusive book that features Pokemon lore, interviews with players and information about the origins of the games. Takenori Oota, a programmer, stated in the book that the team had considered randomly generating an I.D. Number to determine which Pokemon appears in the gamea second touch of random personalization.

These ideas were presented, but then rejected by Shigeru Miyamoto, who persuaded the team to concentrate on two original versions. The game was eventually slated for release in Japan in 1995. The latter would be different from the others by using a different color. Miyamoto believed that the idea was very interesting but that hardware limitations and confusion caused by random randomized concepts wouldn’t be in the game’s favor.

Image via the Pokemon Company

Miyamoto and I talked about how to make sure players know that every cartridge is unique when they purchase one. Tajiri, in an issue from 1997 of Famimaga 64, stated that the system was interesting but difficult to understand. He stated that if players are unable to look at the cartridges, it won’t work and that it would be better if they could also see the different colors and appearances of the games.

Tajiri appreciated the idea of Miyamotos that the color be used to differentiate the games. However, he chose Red and Green. These worlds were made to behave like parallel ones, with differences for information sharing, such as Pokemon versions and other minor changes.

Red and green are not the only traces of the original plan. The trainer I.D. is also an option. The maximum number that a player can be given is 65 535. It is not enough to have an impact on gameplay.

Plus, DidYouKnowGaming? It was almost impossible to make it into the finals, but multiplayer battles through the Game Boys Link Cable nearly did. Instead, multiplayer would have been focused on trading and an in-game mechanic that allowed you to buy and sell Pokemon.

Due to programming limitations and conflicting Game Freaks gameplay philosophies, the monetary system was eliminated. However, it would allow players to purchase Pokemon instead of catching them and then trade them with other players using a fixed monetary value.

Screengrab via The Pokemon Company

It is difficult to transfer money from the game into real life, so it is not possible to transfer money in the game. Tajiri stated that the problems had stopped because it was difficult to use Game Boy. However, there were many obstacles for those who couldn’t overcome them. We were forced to focus on the things we really wanted and abandon all other options. We made trading Pokemon our number one priority. We reduced the monetary value.

Red and Green will still have the mechanic’s sound, but players can still purchase multiple Pokemon, such as the Magikarp located outside the Mt. Moon and Pokemon such as Porygon can be purchased from the Game Corner of Celadon.

Taijiri decided to scrap the idea of a mechanic in which losing a battle would result in losing one or more of your Pokemon.

You can find out more about this cut content in DidyouKnowGaming’s video, including full quotes from Tajiri and Miyamoto as well as other sources in DidyouKnowGaming’s video.