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Paper Mario
Paper Mario (2000)
subdirectory_arrow_right Super Mario RPG 2 (Game)
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Attachment Paper Mario was also originally going to be named Super Mario RPG 2, though due to complications involving Square Enix, the makers of Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, the name was changed to Super Mario Adventure and later Paper Mario.
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Development, Early Idea, Name Change
person Screath calendar_month March 21, 2013
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Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (2004)
subdirectory_arrow_right Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (Game)
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Attachment The gender identity of the party member Vivian is inconsistent between different language translations of the original game. In the Japanese version, Vivian identifies and presents as female, but is described by other characters in the game as actually being an effeminate-looking male, aligning with common media depictions of transgender or gender non-conforming characters at the time, but not explicitly referring to Vivian as such. A rough translation of the Japanese text for Vivian as a party member reads:

"カゲ三人組の一人だった　オンナのコのようで　ホントは　オトコのコ"
"One of the shadow group, Vivian appears to be a girl but is really a boy."

The French version directly carries this over and additionally describes Vivian as a boy pretending to be a girl, while the Spanish version describes Vivian as a boy who looks like a girl. However, according to former Nintendo of Europe translator Pol Roca, Vivian's Spanish name "Bibiana" was intended to be a reference to the Spanish transgender actress Bibiana Fernández, who starred in the 1977 film Cambio de Sexo (or Sex Change).

The English and German versions remove any references to being transgender or gender non-conforming, implicitly portraying Vivian as a cisgender woman with "a bit of an inferiority complex". Instead of being bullied over her biological sex, her sisters instead belittle her for her appearance.

The Italian version of the game on the other hand explicitly depicts Vivian as an openly proud transgender woman, with the localization reconfiguring her relationships with gender identity and her sisters by having Marilyn and Bedlam's bullying being rooted in jealousy, traits which are absent in the Japanese script:

Vivian: "We'll defeat that Mario guy! 'Cause we are 'The three shadow sisters'!"
Marilyn: "How can you define us as 'The three shadow sisters'? You are a man! A MAN!"
Vivian: "That’s true, you are two sisters… But I am a woman too now, and I'm proud to have turned into a woman!"
Marilyn: "Hmph. And you surely think you are more beautiful than we are, huh? You deserve a punishment for that!"

The English release of the Nintendo Switch remake follows the Italian version of the original game in unambiguously describing Vivian as a transgender woman, most prominently featuring a line where Vivian states that "it took me a while to realize that I was [Marilyn and Beldam's] sister... not their brother." It's currently unknown if Vivian's portrayal in other translations of the remake has changed from the original release.
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Censorship, Development, General, In-Joke, LGBTQ+, Name Change, Reference, Regional Difference, Release Difference, Version Difference
person gaiages calendar_month April 11, 2013
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The Cutting Room Floor article on original GameCube release differences:
https://tcrf.net/Paper_Mario:_The_Thousand-Year_Door/Regional_Differences#Vivian

Japanese script example of Vivian's original portrayal:
http://themushroomkingdom.net/pmttyd_j2e.shtml#vivian

"Transgender in Games: A Comparative Study of Transgender Characters in Games" by Emil Christenson and Danielle Unéus:
http://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:1146698/FULLTEXT01.pdf

Article about Italian localization in video games by Francesca Di Marco, a former localization specialist for Square Enix, including a section on Vivian's portrayal:
https://web.archive.org/web/20210607111528/http://www.fti.uab.es/tradumatica/revista/num5/articles/06/06central.htm

Pol Roca tweet and Bibiana name in the Spanish version [info and links provided by Rocko & Heffer]:
https://www.twitter.com/polroc/status/1702660171737059808
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fumoIEFxjKU#t=1102s

My Nintendo review which discusses the restoration of Vivian's transgender identity in the English release of the Switch version:
https://mynintendonews.com/2024/05/21/review-paper-mario-the-thousand-year-door-for-nintendo-switch/


Attachment sources for "Looking for a gal!" Trouble Center mission Vivian interactions in the original game. Footage of the Vivian interaction in the French, German, Italian, and Spanish translations could not be found at this time:

English version ("Whoa! You sure are cute... But, um... That whole goth shadow thing is a bit... Creepy! There, I said it!"):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GI_xG-knJE8?t=39

Japanese version ("おお! これは かわいい。。。 ってキミ。。。 どっちゃなの?。。。 オトコ。。。 だよね。。。
ようするに オスじゃん!"):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIFTyRFZJO4&t=86
EarthBound
EarthBound (1994)
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Attachment Early previews of EarthBound show that the game's localizers had considered calling Giygas "The Geek".
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Development, Early Idea, Name Change
person ThisGuyInTheSuit calendar_month August 5, 2013
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Wario's Woods
Wario's Woods (1994)
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Attachment The English instruction booklet for the SNES version of the game uses Birdo's Japanese name 'Catherine'.
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Console Difference, General, Manual, Name Change
person CuriousUserX90 calendar_month May 13, 2014
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Donkey Kong Country
Donkey Kong Country (1994)
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According to character designer Gregg Mayles on Twitter, after the announcement that King K. Rool would be in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, a character that Gregg had named and designed the actions of, he revealed that the character was original called "KOMMANDER K. ROOL" and that Donkey Kong Country was originally to be called MONKEY MAYHEM. He also mentioned that the "K." in K. Rool does not actually stand for anything and the name itself is only intended to be a play on the word "cruel", though he joked that the initial could stand for something mundane and off-character, such as "Keith".

In addition, Gregg's brother Steve, who designed the look and visual design for the character, also revealed that the programmers thought King K. Rool was "too big" and too taxing on the game's memory, and thus several frames of the character's animation had to be dropped as a result.
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Development, Early Idea, Etymology, General, Inspiration, Name Change, Real Life, Unused Content
person PirateGoofy calendar_month March 27, 2020
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Dark Cloud 2
Dark Cloud 2 (2002)
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Attachment In the Kitchen of Max's house, there is a bright white picture hanging on the wall opposite to the Kitchen door with the words "Dark Chronicle" written on it. Dark Chronicle is the original name of the game and the one used for its Japanese and European releases. In North America and South Korea however, the game was released as "Dark Cloud 2".
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Easter Egg, Hidden Message, Name Change, Regional Difference, Version Difference
person MehDeletingLater calendar_month August 26, 2021
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Transformers
Transformers (2004)
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The game went through a number of early titles throughout development including "Transformers Armada" (which was the name shipped with review copies of the game), "Transformers Armada: The Battle for Energon" and "Transformers Armada: Prelude to Energon", all of which bear the name of the show and toy line that it's based upon. However, when the game was launched at retail, the name was changed to just "Transformers" for unknown reasons.
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Development, Early Idea, Inspiration, Name Change, Suggested, Theory, Title, Unused Content, Unused Text
person PirateGoofy calendar_month November 9, 2021
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Tornado Outbreak
Tornado Outbreak (2009)
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Two early names considered for the game during development were Tornado Alley, and Zephyr: Rise of the Elementals. The game was first pitched to Warner Bros. Interactive under the Tornado Alley name in July 2006. These early design documents, alongside the documents for the unproduced Dirty Harry: Excessive Force, were later trademarked in 2008.
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Development, Early Idea, Name Change, Pitch Bible/Proposal, Title
person Larrye calendar_month March 1, 2022
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Tornado Alley pitch bible:
https://uspto.report/TM/77202639/SPE20080304192012/

Tornado Alley sizzle reel variant with early title:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVDY1uNt3Ig

Engadget article with Zephyr: Rise of the Elementals title:
https://www.engadget.com/2009-06-01-konami-announces-zephyr-rise-of-the-elementals.html
Punch Club
Punch Club (2016)
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The game was originally known as VHS Story (Video Hero Super Story) as a reference of the movies of the era. According to the team at Lazy Bear Games, the name was changed because many people misunderstood the title, thinking that it's a game about the video format itself.
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Development, Early Idea, Name Change, Release Difference, Version Difference
person ZpaceJ0ck0 calendar_month January 11, 2023
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Missile Command
Missile Command (1980)
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The originally planned title for Missile Command was "Armageddon", but this name was vetoed by upper management due to issues that children would have with spelling and pronouncing the name. It's also suggested that various members of Atari's upper management didn't know what the word actually meant. As such, the alternative title of "Missile Command" came about.
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Advertisement/Commercial, Development, Early Idea, Name Change, Real Life, Removed Feature, Title, Unused Text
person Lem0nDem0n calendar_month September 5, 2023
comment Comment (0) | link Source
Five Nights at Freddy's Plus
Five Nights at Freddy's Plus (TBA)
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Original names suggested for the game were Five Nights at Freddy's 1.5, Five Nights at Freddy's REC and Five Nights at Freddy's RED, before eventually deciding on the final name Five Nights at Freddy's Plus.
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Development, Early Idea, Name Change
person chocolatejr9 calendar_month September 10, 2023
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Reckless Rufus
Reckless Rufus (1992)
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Reckless Rufus was originally titled Awesome Dude, but Alternative Software decided to go with the former name instead.
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Development, Early Idea, Name Change, Title
person Rocko & Heffer calendar_month September 17, 2023
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Cartoon Network: Punch Time Explosion
Cartoon Network: Punch Time Explosion (2011)
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The title for Cartoon Network: Punch Time Explosion originated as an in-joke within Cartoon Network, being shortened from the joke title Cartoon Network: Super Fist Crazy Punch Time Explosion. The original title was Cartoon Network: Superstar Rumble, which had to be changed for unknown legal concerns.
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Development, Early Idea, Name Change, Title
person Rocko & Heffer calendar_month September 17, 2023
comment Comment (0) | link Source
Big Boy Boxing
Big Boy Boxing (TBA)
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In the first demo for Big Boy Boxing, the tutorial opponent was called "The Hobo Dude". In a later trailer, his name was changed to "A Wild Dude", likely to avoid classist implications.
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Censorship, Name Change, Update Difference, Version Difference
person Rocko & Heffer calendar_month September 18, 2023
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Big Boy Boxing later trailer - A Wild Dude:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMIacVoOJaQ?t=130

Big Boy Boxing teaser trailer - The Hobo Dude:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWNNRAVtf1w
Crazy Frog Racer
Crazy Frog Racer (2006)
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Multiple characters from the Game Boy Advance version of Crazy Frog Racer all had their names changed from development to release.

•Mafia Hen was called Mafia Chicken
•Dream Boy was called Manga Boy
•Big Elk was called Elch
•Rasta Dog was called Gangsta Dog
•Toro was called Stier "Maredo"
•Puschel was called Eichhörnchen

Punk Girl and the Crazy Frog were the only characters to keep their names.
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Console Difference, Development, Early Idea, Name Change, Unused Text
person Rocko & Heffer calendar_month September 20, 2023
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Yandere Simulator
Yandere Simulator (2024)
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When deciding what Yandere-chan's real name would be, YandereDev originally considered giving her a name that meant "murder", suggesting names like "Satsu Jinsha" or "Jinsha Satsu". He eventually narrowed down his options to three names: "Ayano", "Ayane", and "Ayana", all of which have "yan" in the name which is also in the word "Yandere". He ultimately went with Ayano, as it had the fewest Google search results, and thus was less likely to get confused with somebody else.
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Development, Early Idea, Name Change
person chocolatejr9 calendar_month September 23, 2023
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Pac-Man 2: The New Adventures
Pac-Man 2: The New Adventures (1994)
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This game was not originally envisioned as a successor to the original Pac-Man, but rather a spin-off. The title was changed from Hello Pac-Man! to Pac-Man 2: The New Adventures in Western localization.
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Development, Early Idea, Name Change, Regional Difference, Title
person Rocko & Heffer calendar_month September 25, 2023
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Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled
Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled (2019)
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In Crash Team Racing: Nitro-Fueled, King Chicken's name had been uncovered through datamines months before his release. These datamines show that the character's name was very briefly changed to "King Paul III" (a pun on "poultry") before being reverted back to the earlier name for the character's official release.
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Early Idea, Leak, Name Change
person Rocko & Heffer calendar_month October 18, 2023
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Tonic Trouble
Tonic Trouble (1999)
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Tonic Trouble's working titles were "Ed" and "Hed". The title of the game, having changed roughly 8 times through development, was decided through a vote on the IGN website. The poll is not known to have been preserved, and thus it is unknown what other titles were in consideration for the game.
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Development, Name Change, Title
person Rocko & Heffer calendar_month October 25, 2023
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Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island
Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island (1995)
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Attachment The game was originally intended to be the fifth installment of the Super Mario Bros. series, with two leaked prototypes from December 1994 featuring a title screen with the logo Super Mario Bros. 5: Yoshi's Island. Come the final release, and the prefix would be shortened to Super Mario. This explains why the international release was titled Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, as the original Super Mario World was subtitled Super Mario Bros. 4 in Japan.

Additionally, the later of the two prototypes features a radically different design for the logo, using a much sleeker and blockier font. The final release would revert to the earlier logo, barring the aforementioned truncated prefix.
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Development, Early Idea, Name Change, Prototype, Regional Difference, Title
person VinchVolt calendar_month October 26, 2023
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December 6, 1994 prototype information:
https://tcrf.net/Proto:Super_Mario_World_2:_Yoshi%27s_Island/ys_romX_0

December 19, 1994 prototype information:
https://tcrf.net/Proto:Super_Mario_World_2:_Yoshi%27s_Island/ys_rom_0_D

Comparison between the final title screens in the Japanese and international releases:
https://tcrf.net/Super_Mario_World_2:_Yoshi%27s_Island/Version_Differences
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