So, Pokémon X and Y are the first games in the long running series to *not* follow the traditional color naming. People have speculated and, probably, poked fun at the names, but the real reason behind them is something no one would have guessed.
In the most recent Iwata asks, Satoru Iwata sits down with Game Freak Director Junichi Masude and Pokémon Company President Tsunekazu Ishihara and eventually the trio discuss the idea behind the names.
“I can remember it like it was yesterday, how strong the response was when we announced the actual titles, with people surprised and saying it was unexpected,” said Iwata. “Why did you decide to name them Pokémon X and Pokémon Y?”
“The X and Y represent the x axis and the y axis,” responded Masuda. “The world holds people with all sorts of ways of thinking, and you can get a sense that they exist in different dimensions. But if you think of them as people who think on the x axis and people who think on the y axis-horizontal and vertical axes-then they intersect somewhere.”
“We may think differently, but we all live on the same planet, so everyone eats, sleeps and goes about their business day after day just like everyone else.”
Iwata followed up with, “So the theme this time is that even if languages, cultures and mindsets are different, even if the surrounding environment is different, they overlap somewhere.”
Now that we know that the names are for the x-axis and y-axis, it’s only a matter of time before we get a Pokémon Z (z-axis). Will Z tell a different story from X a Y, or a parallel one that eventually crosses over? I’d like to see the latter happen, since the series seems to be experimenting and making changes to the format.
Pokémon X and Y release worldwide this weekend.
{Source: Iwata Asks}