8 Popular Video Game Series That Have Changed Names
Level up, retro rangers and Easter egg hunters! Get your controllers ready because we’re about to speedrun through some of the wildest “wait, that’s what it used to be called?” moments in video game lore. Grab a potion, equip that Wisdom Hat, and let’s 100% this listicle: 8 Popular Game Series That Have Changed Names. Some of these swaps feel like secret unlockables that only the nerdiest among us ever stumbled across!
8 Video Game Series Changed Names
1. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
Original Name: Triforce of the Gods
Before Link was dashing, spinning, and item-swapping across the SNES’s Hyrule as we know it, he was starring in Kamigami no Triforce. That’s right, Japan got a full-on “Triforce of the Gods” subtitle. Should we thank Nintendo of America for swapping out religious references and going for a title that leaned into lore instead? Whether you’re a dungeon-diving newbie or a seasoned heart-piece hunter, the belief is that Western parents (and Nintendo’s own guidelines) might have glitched if the word “Gods” showed up at show-and-tell. What do you think? Is it a great video game series name change?
Either way, A Link to the Past remains the definitive journey through Light and Dark Worlds, and its name swap is a sacred part of Zelda trivia. Just imagine what fan debates would sound like if we all had to say, “Kamigami no Triforce speedrun, anyone?”
2. Resident Evil
Original Name: Biohazard
Okay, grab your ink ribbons and crank handles for this one. In Japan, Capcom unleashed a survival horror juggernaut called Biohazard. But when it came time to launch in the US, there was epic boss-level legal trouble in the form of an existing band and a DOS game with the same name. The localization crew at Capcom USA threw a naming contest, legendary in office lore, and out popped the atmospheric Resident Evil.
It’s one of the rare occasions where both names stuck in their home regions, so you’ll catch purists and import collectors dropping “Biohazard” in voice chat. No matter what you call it, everyone knows to check behind every door for that first zombie jump scare, unless they’re total save-room cowards. Are you team Biohazard or team Resident Evil?
3. Star Fox
Original Name: Starwing (Europe), Lylat Wars
Time to do a barrel roll down memory lane. When Star Fox flew across the Atlantic to Europe, trademark turbulence hit thanks to the company StarVox. That’s when Europe got its own versions of Starwing for the original SNES adventure and Lylat Wars for Fox’s N64 mission. If you ever got confused at game swaps or in retro collecting, blame regional legal moves and marketing wizardry.
It’s a neat bit of gaming oddity and an instant party trick for European gamers who owned the differently-titled carts. Don’t worry, Fox McCloud’s crew reclaimed the “Star Fox” badge globally by the GameCube era, but PAL region kids still get maximum street cred for knowing their Starwing from their Star Fox 64.
4. Yakuza
Original Name: Ryu Ga Gotoku (“Like a Dragon”)
Before the world knew it as Yakuza, Sega’s saga of brawling, dramatic storytelling, and outrageous mini-games was called Ryu Ga Gotoku in Japan, directly translating to “Like a Dragon.” For its Western debut, Sega went with “Yakuza,” zeroing in on the gritty underworld vibe to draw in gamers ready for crime drama action.
Years later, when Yakuza: Like a Dragon launched, the series began reverting to its roots worldwide, slowly shifting toward using the original Japanese name. So, next time you’re pounding the pavement as Ichiban or belting out karaoke, remember sometimes the original title eventually gets the spotlight it deserves sometimes the original title eventually gets the spotlight it deserves. Did Sega make the right choice in changing this video game’s name?
5. Guitar Hero
Original Name: RedOctane (Prototype)
Let’s drop into rockstar mode. While Guitar Hero was the name that swept bedrooms and dorms around the globe, the earliest builds were called RedOctane and named after the little-known peripheral manufacturer that made the original controllers. Imagine the crowd chants: “Let’s jam on some RedOctane!” Would the plastic guitar craze have gone triple platinum with that handle? Unlikely.
Luckily, “Guitar Hero” became the chord-smashing word on every aspiring shredder’s lips. And for extra nerd points, RedOctane was eventually acquired by Activision, so the original Devs’ name still lives on in the code!
6. Bully
Original Name: Canis Canem Edit
Sling shots at the ready! When Rockstar Games rolled out their notorious boarding school adventure, the UK and other PAL territories had a collective freak-out about the game’s name. Bully was just a step too brazen for their press. Enter: Canis Canem Edit, Latin for “Dog Eat Dog,” and the official motto of Bullworth Academy.
It wasn’t just a name change for the censors; the box art got a Hogwarts-y upgrade for those regions. No matter the cover, it’s the same game where you’re fleeing prefects and pranking jocksandjust with more classical vibes for British sensibilities. These regionally unique titles have become a must-have for serious box art collectors.
7. Saints Row
Original Name: Bling Bling (Working Title)
Before the Saints were turbo-charged meme machines, the working title was Bling Bling. The focus was simple: cash, respect, and customizing your ultimate urban empire. Only as the project evolved did it gain a sense of humor, and the Third Street Saints’ purple reign was born.
By the time of launch, “Saints Row” better reflected the game’s scope for gangland chaos and endless sandbox exploits. While “Bling Bling” might’ve been stuck in the early-2000s hip hop time capsule, Saints Row kept evolving, from parodying GTA to blasting aliens with dubstep guns. The rest is alternative universe gold for anyone trolling for trivia.
8. Kirby’s Dream Land
Original Name: Twinkle Popo
Here’s a super deep cut. Kirby, the snack-devouring pink puffball, almost made his debut as “Popopo” in Twinkle Popo. The character and his game were already finished in Japan when Nintendo of America decided to press “randomize” on the naming screen. Thus, Kirby was born, and the name stuck so hard that it’s impossible to picture him as anything else.
“Twinkle Popo” sounds like it could have been an obscure item in an RPG, but with the Switch, Kirby gained his international stardom. To collectors, those early Japanese assets are holy grails, and true Nintendo historians always throw in that random fact to flex at cons. Can you imagine our pink buddy without a video game name change? Would you sport a Popopo shirt?
The Power-Up of the Name Change
Changing a video game’s name is like finding a wild Ditto, and it adapts to what’s needed. Sometimes it’s for legal reasons, like Biohazard morphing into Resident Evil to dodge copyright issues. Sometimes it’s fearing a parental aggro-out, like “Gods” in a Zelda title. More often, it’s about making the game appeal to the biggest crowd possible, whether that means regionalizing, localizing, or just repackaging the fun.
What’s wild is how these alternate titles of these video game series and “beta” names have become legendary for the true lore-divers among us and discussion fodder for forums, YouTube deep dives, and those late-night co-op sessions when someone drops “Did you know Kirby was Popopo?” at just the right time.
Beyond the oddities, these translation and localization quirks show that the spirit of a game endures, no matter what’s on the cartridge or disc. In the end, whether you’re raiding a dungeon as Link, surviving zombies with Jill, or riding shotgun with the Saints, it’s the adventure that stays epic.
So next time you slot in a cartridge or hit quick start on your digital library, tip your hat to the many hidden “IDs” your favorite series once wore. It’s proof that in gaming, as in RPGs, sometimes the best stories are the side quests you stumble across along the way.
Now save your progress, because in this timeline, knowing a game’s old name might be the ultimate secret achievement. But did the changed names of the video game series help or hurt them?
