Import ROMs with Original Filenames and Improve Variant Visibility

Users importing ROM collections with hacks, translations, prototypes, revisions, and other variants need a way to preserve the original ROM filename as the game title instead of having LaunchBox normalize the title to a database match.

Today, imported files such as Final Fantasy (Translation v1.2).nes can end up displayed simply as Final Fantasy, which makes multiple variants appear identical in the game list. This is especially problematic for curated or archival collections where the filename contains the important identifying information.

This request is to add a true “raw import” option that uses the ROM filename as the title, improve version visibility in Big Box, and allow bulk editing of the Title field.

User Impact

• Variant-heavy collections become hard to browse because many entries appear with the same base title.

• Important identifying information from the ROM filename is not visible in the main list.

• Users may only be able to tell variants apart by opening details and checking the Version field.

• Manually fixing hundreds of imported titles is slow and defeats the purpose of bulk import.

Example
ROM filename:

• Final Fantasy (Translation by Demo Team v1.2).nes

Current result:

• Title: Final Fantasy

Expected result:

• Title: Final Fantasy (Translation by Demo Team v1.2)

Requested Changes

1. Add an import option to preserve ROM filenames as titles
   Suggested option names:

   • Use ROM filename as game title

   • Do not database-match imported titles

Recommended behavior:

• Use the filename without extension as the imported Title

• Do not replace the title with a database-normalized base title

• Keep metadata/artwork lookup separate from title preservation if possible

2. Improve Big Box visibility for variants
   Recommended behavior:

   • Allow the Version field to be shown in the main Big Box game list

   • Make it easier to distinguish variants without opening the details view

3. Add Title to bulk edit
   Recommended behavior:

   • Expose Title as a bulk-editable field

   • Allow users to rename imported entries in batches after import

Use Cases

• ROM hacks

• Fan translations

• Prototype and beta collections

• Revision-based sets

• Archival collections where exact source naming matters

Acceptance Criteria

• The import flow includes an option to preserve the original ROM filename as the imported game title.

• When enabled, LaunchBox uses the ROM filename without extension instead of a database-normalized title.

• Variant-heavy ROM imports remain visually distinct in the game list.

• Big Box can show enough version/variant information for users to distinguish similar titles in the main list.

• Users can bulk edit the Title field for multiple selected games.

• Existing import behavior remains unchanged for users who prefer normalized database titles.