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New data leak reveals scrapped Pokémon Pink and revisions

Leaked Pokémon Yellow data shows interesting scrapped ideas.

An anonymous source leaked a zip file which contained cut content from Pokémon Yellow and Pokémon Blue. The file, released on April 11, does not feature as much unknown content as the Spaceworld demo leaked last year, but it does have some interesting material.

Apart from the games’ source code and internal file system, the highlighted contents include:

  • Remnants from the games’ localisation process, including multiple early versions of the English text. Some important changes included the removal of gender references, changes in capitalization, removing text that indicated where or whom from a TM was obtained and renaming the Super Ball to Great Ball. Also found were unknown early English names for specific Pokémon. Boy Scout was changed to “Cool Guy”, probably to avoid infringing the Boy Scout trademark.
  • Certain Pokémon and character names were changed. Few instances: Gyarados was first named
    Blaine as seen in Red and Green (or Blue).
    Coleman-err, Blaine, in Yellow.

    Skulkraken and Rattata was named Korattavar. Blaine was not only given a different look, but he was called Coleman before the revisions.

  • Planned anime voice clips for Pokémon Yellow. Anime voices of Pokémon were planned to be used instead of their regular cries. This means Pikachu wasn’t supposed to be the only Pokémon to have its anime cry in-game. The voice clips found weren’t healthy – not for the game, neither for the human ear. Here’s a Diglett cry for example.
  • And the most notable discovery – various references to a potential Pokémon Yellow companion, named Pokémon Pink – the header of the Pokémon Yellow source code refers to the game as “Pocket Monsters Pink and Yellow”.

    Pikachu and Jigglypuff. Or was it supposed to be Clefairy?

Many speculations suggest the game mascot could have either been a Jigglypuff or a Clefairy, as these are the only plausible options. Clefairy was featured in a separate Pokémon manga and was supposed to be the franchise mascot before it was changed to Pikachu. It was at the time, just like Pikachu, a two-stage Pokémon and evolves using a stone. Considering Jigglypuff, its popularity exploded with the anime and it has a presence in Smash Bros. as a fighter, clearly showing that it isn’t an alien outside the Pokémon fandom.

A complete ROM cannot be compiled with the data from the zip file alone due to the lack of certain development tools. And it does not feature all the front sprites of scrapped Pokémon. But it is certain that Pokémon as a gaming franchise would have surely been different had this route been followed. What do you make of these leaks?

That’s all for now, stay safe, everyone!

Edited by Aldo, bobandbill and HeroLinik.