Summary
- Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire almost had different names: Indigo and Crimson, as seen in datamined files.
- The switch from color-based names to gem names reflected a major graphical leap in the series.
- The alternate names were discovered in Japanese files, leaving fans to speculate on the game's development.
Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire datamining appears to have revealed that the games originally had different names. It's not clear if these alternate names were only intended for internal use, or if the games nearly shipped with different titles entirely. However, the Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire files shed some light on the development process of the games and creates an interesting "what-if" scenario to think about.
Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire offered a major graphical leap over its core series predecessors. The series has previously dubbed its individual versions after colors, but switching to glittering gems when the series had never looked better seemed appropriate. However, this datamine seems to indicate that the series could have reverted back to simple color names.
Student Spots Pokemon Reference in Their Biology Exam
One Pokemon fan notices that their biology exam paper includes a question based on Pokemon evolution, complete with diagrams and even accurate stats.
Dataminers KmiE_821 and Wobbuu revealed that they were looking through the Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire files and discovered two script files that seemed to refer to the games by different names. The data seems to indicate that the games may have been called Pokemon Indigo and Pokemon Crimson at one point. The names are in Japanese, written as "藍バージョン" and "朱バージョン," or "Indigo Version" and "Crimson Version."
Were Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire Going to Ship as Indigo and Crimson?
KmiE_821 notes that "Indigo" and "Crimson" are their translations. There's no guarantee that Nintendo and Game Freak would have used those exact English words to title the two games, as there are many similar shades of red that might fit. For example, another vivid red shade like "Vermillion" also seems plausible. Interestingly, Indigo and Vermillion are both relevant to the series, with the Indigo League and Vermillion City. However, this could be pure coincidence. Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire explore the Hoenn region, not Kanto, where the Indigo League and Vermillion City are located.
Outside of the file data itself, one can only speculate regarding what these alternate titles might have been for. While it's possible that the developers were at one time considering color-based Pokemon game names, it's also possible that these were simply placeholder titles that were never intended to be used outside the developer team. In any case, it did ultimately stick with a similar color palette with the red and blue Ruby and Sapphire, respectively.
While datamining and various leaks can reveal some development background of games, there are some uncovered secrets that might remain unexplained. Without confirmation from a developer, fans will likely never know if the third generation of Pokemon would have had a completely different pair of names, but it's an interesting possibility to think about.
Pokemon Ruby
- Released
- March 19, 2003
- ESRB
- E For Everyone
Pokémon has evolved! Pokémon Ruby and Pokémon Sapphire, the first of the series for Game Boy Advance, combine the power of the world's most powerful portable game system with the playability of Pokémon to create an experience that you can't afford to miss.
Featuring an all-new storyline, a massive new world to explore, and a menagerie of new (and many classic) Pokémon to catch, train and battle - Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire are a Pokémon fan's dream come true. Both games are set in the world of Hoenn - a land filled with cities, caves, lakes and secrets. When your adventure begins, you must choose whether you want to play as a male or female character (both are kitted out with some cool new Pokémon gear) and set out on a mission to become the best Pokémon Trainer that Hoenn has ever seen. Before you begin your quest, you're given one of three new Pokémon to start you off. You can choose from Treecko, a Grass-type, Torchic, a Fire-type, and Mudkip, a Water-type Pokémon.
- Developer(s)
- Game Freak
- Publisher(s)
- The Pokemon Company, Nintendo
- Franchise
- Pokemon
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Game Boy Advance
- Genre(s)
- RPG
- How Long To Beat
- 35 Hours
- Metascore
- 82
