Games That Changed Names Over Time

Between AAA developers and indie teams, the industry is pretty secret about how long it takes to make a video game and what happens during cycles. Interviews can shine some light on the subject, but said light can be dim. Recently, Early Access builds have given fans a more direct taste of how a game can change during development. The big one right now is Hades 2 on Steam’s Early Access.

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By  Jake Parr

One of the things that can change during a development cycle is titles. What’s in a name? Sometimes just that, a name. Other times a name change can signal something more significant like an entire retooling of a concept. Let’s look at some known and fairly obscure examples. Links to some behind the scenes work will be provided on Unseen64 which always a great source for beta info.

6 Capsule Monsters (Pokemon)

Could Have Changed Pokemon Significantly Beyond The Name

Capsule Monsters was the original pitch for Pokemon and there are a lot of sketches of the prototype phase online. Capsule Monsters can be seen on some of the art too. There were stores at one point selling Pokemon and whips seemed to play a big role in the gameplay which seems cruel now. Other monsters never became Pokemon creatures either.

It’s interesting to think about scrapped ideas when it comes to Pokemon because there are a lot of behind-the-scenes things out there like the Space World demo version of Pokemon Gold and Pokemon Silver. Development for the first Pokemon games started as far back as 1990 before the project was eventually released in Japan in 1996 under the titles of Pocket Monsters Red and Pocket Monsters Green. Of course, North America shortened the names when they were released in 1998 and the rest is history.

5 Final Fantasy Versus 13 (Final Fantasy 15)

A Decade In The Making

When Final Fantasy 13 was announced in 2006, several tie-in projects came with it including Final Fantasy Versus 13. This was going to be an action RPG set in roughly the same universe which was being directed by Tetsuya Nomura, the Kingdom Hearts lead.

While it received many trailers over the years, it had just as many years wherein nothing was shown. Eventually, there was a trailer in 2013 and at the end, the name was changed to Final Fantasy 15 and it switched development from the PS3 to the PS4. It would still be another three years before the game was released.

4 Monado: Beginning of the World (Xenoblade Chronicles)

Save For The Name, This Is Xenoblade 100%

This is one of the stranger stories because all footage of Monado: Beginning of the World looks exactly like Xenoblade Chronicles. It seems like the name was the only issue with the game and it was a smart choice to eventually switch. For context, Xenogears was released on the PS1 in 1998.

Several key members of that staff, including the director Tetsuya Takahashi, left Squaresoft to create a new studio, Monolith Soft. They developed the Xenosaga trilogy for Bandai Namco and then made a deal with Nintendo for this Wii RPG. In the end, it made sense for the legacy of the company to make a new “Xeno” project even though the name “Monado” was still a large part of the story as it was the game’s overpowered sword.

3 Nico (Shadow of the Colossus)

Could It Have Been A Party-Based Boss Rush Game?

Nico was the next project from Fumito Ueda following Ico’s release in 2001. There was an initial trailer for it showcasing a very Ico-looking hero with horns and a party of other heroes chasing a large beast. This could have conveyed a multiplayer setup like Monster Hunter, but that was never the case.

The idea of giant bosses stayed though and the project was eventually renamed to Shadow of the Colossus during development and it was released in 2005. Interestingly enough, the name is different in Japan as it is called Wander of the Colossus. Technically, that makes more sense since the hero’s name is Wander. That's a bonus name fact for an alltime great like Shadow of the Colossus.

2 Rainy Woods (Deadly Premonition)

Almost A Completely Different Horror Game

Rainy Woods was the game being developed before Deadly Premonition and it is almost unfair to call it out on here. It’s almost a completely different game and the history behind it is fascinating. It seemed like a more intense mystery game without the quirk of Agent Francis York Morgan.

It was unveiled in 2007, was shortly “canceled” after that, and got rebooted as Deadly Premonition when it was shown to the public in 2009 but it wouldn’t release until 2010. Like Shadow of the Colossus, the Japanese name is different: Red Seeds Profile. For those who love this good/bad game, fans should check out everything Unseen64 has on Rainy Woods.

1 Race'n'Chase (Grand Theft Auto)

Not As Catchy As Grant Theft Auto

Race'n'Chase has to be one of the limpest video game names of all time. That was the proposed title behind the original Grand Theft Auto which would have made a different franchise. Imagine playing Race'n'Chase: San Andreas on the PS2 in 2004. Jokes aside, the team that would become Rockstar imagined the game with a bigger emphasis on cops and robbers hence the elaborate albeit obvious title. Not many pieces of concept art exist but there are many more details online through documents and personal accounts on how the project changed over time besides the name.

The first concept was drawn up in 1995, scrapped, and eventually the project was renamed to Grand Theft Auto internally and it was released in 1997. Race'n'Chase was not scrapped entirely though as Rockstar eventually brought the concept back for a series of arcade games in Grand Theft Auto Online called Race and Chase. It is playable too and the game looks like an authentic homage to the 90s arcade scene.