The U.S. Version Of Pokémon Was Almost A Complete Disaster

It's hard to imagine the Pokémon franchise without its iconic creatures and catchy music, but there was once a time when it might have been drastically different. The first Pokémon games, Red and Blue, were almost completely reworked for their U.S. release due to concerns that they wouldn't resonate outside of Japan.

The idea behind these changes was to make the game more appealing to American audiences. One concept that never came to fruition was turning Pokémon into a baseball game. According to Gail Tilden, former Nintendo of America marketing manager and founder of Nintendo Power, this idea was considered, but ultimately scrapped.

"We were looking at changing the 'Pokémon league' to a 'baseball league'," Tilden revealed in an interview with the Video Game History Foundation. "I don't think we ever seriously pursued it, but it's interesting to think about what could have been."

Another idea that was considered was making the game more "gritty" by adding elements like graffiti to the world. Tilden credited this idea to an ad agency and believes that advertisers in the 1990s thought that making things grungier was the solution to any problem.

"We were looking at ways to make it grittier, like adding graffiti," Tilden said. "I think it's interesting to look back on it now and wonder what could have been."

Imagine a Pokémon Red and Blue where cute little 8-bit creatures roam around a gritty, graffiti-filled Kanto region as they travel between little league games. It's an amusing thought, but one that raises questions about the core concept of the franchise.

Would the Pokémon still be there? Would they help players in baseball games like supernatural versions of Air Bud? How would the game's code work without completely retooling it?

These questions are intentionally absurd, but they give you an idea of just how drastic a change the game's concept would have had to undergo. According to Tilden, these discussions took months and were ultimately deemed too radical.

"We realized that changing Pokémon's core concept was the wrong move," Tilden said. "I think Nintendo of America was smart to realize it."

Fortunately for fans of the franchise, the original game's concept remained intact, and the billions of dollars it has made are a testament to its enduring success.

Even if the U.S. versions had turned out to be a weird baseball mess, it's unlikely that it would have sunk the entire franchise. According to an article from the BBC, combined sales of Pokémon Red and Green and the Pokémon Trading Card Game exceeded four billion dollars.

Had Pokémon not become an international phenomenon, it's possible that we might not have seen collaborations with companies like Legendary Entertainment or Niantic, or continued growth and risk-taking without the financial backing of overseas markets.

As much as I'd love to try out this alternate version of Pokémon, I'm ultimately glad that it became a bit of trivia and not reality. The franchise has become an integral part of pop culture, and its success is a testament to its enduring appeal.

So let's stick with the original game concept and enjoy the billions of dollars it has brought us over the years. Who knows what could have been?