10 Ways Nintendo Were Almost COMPLETELY Different
8. Captain Falcon Was Almost The Mascot Of The Super Nintendo
In 1983, Nintendo released the NES and Sega released the SG-1000. When Sega's system bombed, they tried again with their follow-up console, the Master System, but that also failed.
Sega realised that their system didn't just need better graphics; their company needed a mascot as iconic as Super Mario. Not only was their next system, the Mega Drive, superior to the NES in nearly every regard, Sega replaced their cutesy mascot, Alex Kidd, with the much cooler Sonic the Hedgehog.
When Nintendo saw the popularity of the Mega Drive, they countered with the release of the Super Nintendo. When Sega's system continued to outsell them, Nintendo strongly considered kicking Mario to the curb for a new, cool mascot.
When Takaya Imamura showcased drawings of his upcoming racer for the SNES, F-ZERO, to Nintendo workers, one of them expressed interest in one character as a new face for their brand. To help sell the character, Imamura was told to name him something cool like "Captain Something". In the end, Imamura dubbed this character Captain Douglas Falcon (Yes, his name is Douglas. Mind blown).
But when the SNES began outselling the Mega Drive, Nintendo decided to keep the Italian plumber as the face of their company.