Pokemon Red and Green Nearly Let Players Buy Each Pokemon

During development on Pokemon Red and Green for the Nintendo Game Boy, Game Freak came up with many concepts and features that did not make the final cut. One idea that was not included in the final game would have allowed players to purchase Pokemon from "Pokemon Stores," in addition to catching them in the wild. The feature would have also forced players to pay in-game currency when making lop-sided trades with other players. Did You Know Gaming recently acquired and translated an early interview with Satoshi Tajiri, in which the series creator discussed the cut feature.

"Transferring money in the game is very different from wiring money in real life, and there were difficulties getting it to work on Game Boy — there were just too many obstacles to overcome to make it happen," said Tajiri. "We had no choice but to focus on what we wanted most and give up on the rest. In this case, being able to trade Pokemon was our top priority, so we cut the monetary value feature."

In addition to these technical concerns, Tajiri also voiced concerns that players would have "less motivation to struggle to catch [Pokemon] in the wild." As Did You Know Gaming points out, there are still Pokemon that can be purchased in the game, most notably a Magikarp that's a big rip-off. Players also had to obtain Porygon using winnings from the Celadon Game Corner. However, the feature was mostly cut from the final game.

The full video can be found below, and Tajiri's comments on the money component can be found around the 8:16 mark.

It's interesting to look back on what could have been! While Tajiri is right that focusing on purchasing Pokemon might have detracted from the game's key themes, assigning a monetary value to trades might have been a smart inclusion. When Pokemon Red and Blue first released in North America, there were reports of some bullies apparently forcing players to trade rare Pokemon in exchange for common ones (this was also a problem with the TCG). It's hard to say how frequently that problem occurred, but this mechanic could have helped ease the blow a little bit, had it been included.

Are you a fan of Pokemon Red and Blue? Do you think this feature should have been included? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!