Later this month, fans across the world will celebrate Pokemon Day, the 30th anniversary of the release of Pokemon Red and Pokemon Green. It’s nearly certain that The Pokemon Company will host a Pokemon Presents showcase on this day where they’ll announce multiple new projects in the franchise. Ports of classic Pokemon games to the Switch are heavily rumored, and while I’ve got a good feeling about this one, I’m not entirely convinced.
Specifically, rumors started circulating earlier this month that Pokemon FireRed and Pokemon LeafGreen will come to the Switch and Switch 2 in celebration of the anniversary. In a post that sits at 5.7 million impressions at the time of this writing, leaker Riddler_Khu wrote “They will return soon~” alongside the cover art for the two Pokemon games. Other leakers have come forward and said they’ve heard something similar.
Why I believe
Source: Nintendo
It’s time. We say this every year, but this time, it’s finally time. The franchise is turning 30 years old, and if there was ever a time to smack the nostalgia button, it’s now. FireRed and LeafGreen are excellent remakes of the original Pokemon games, preserving them, flaws and all, while giving them some necessary visual improvements. Despite being released in 2004, the Generation 3 art style still holds up remarkably well. There are enough young Pokemon fans that’ve never explored the Kanto region, who I believe would flock to something like this.
One of the key details in this rumor is that FireRed and LeafGreen won’t be part of the Game Boy Advance Nintendo Switch library, but will instead be sold as separate purchases in the eShop. This is the single-most convincing detail to me. I’ve long held the belief that Nintendo and Game Freak wouldn’t just toss the old Pokemon games on a subscription service that people are already paying for, because they know they could probably move a few million units if they just sold them to us again. Of course they’re going to make everyone re-buy FireRed and LeafGreen, it makes too much sense.
I, of course, will be in the long line of suckers that buy the games on day one. I still have my LeafGreen cartridge, but this re-release may offer something I can’t do with that. Word on the street is, these re-releases could have compatibility with Pokemon Home, the app for Switch and mobile devices that lets users transfer Pokemon across games. This would be awesome. One of the greatest joys as a longtime Pokemon fan is taking your mons not only across games, but generations. I hold tightly to the creatures I’ve had with me since I was a child, and it’d be dope to have a way to directly port FR (FireRed) and LG (LeafGreen) Pokemon to the modern games, especially with Gen 10 likely coming in the fall.
Why I don’t believe
Source: Nintendo
Always bet on nothing. It’s a phrase you’ll see often if you frequent social media communities or forums dedicated to fandom. I’ve been doing this for a while now, and I’ve had far more disappointments than anything else when it comes to leaks, rumors, etc. leading into gaming news events, especially Pokemon ones. If this month’s showcase comes and goes with no mention of Pokemon FR and LG, I won’t even blink.
One might ask, at this point, what are they waiting for? If the 30th anniversary of the franchise isn’t the time to finally port some of the older games to modern consoles, when is? I don’t know. I’m no game developer, but it’s certainly something Game Freak, Nintendo, and The Pokemon company could have figured out by now if they wanted it to happen. They’re incredibly precious about this franchise and how people experience it.
There’s also the argument that given the ongoing series of Pokemon remakes, perhaps The Pokemon Company fears modern ports could devalue newer remake projects. Why play Pokemon Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Let’s Go, Eevee! if you can just play the more-beloved FireRed and LeafGreen, presumably at a cheaper price? It’s a silly line of thinking, but I wouldn’t put it past them.
Dreaming bigger
Source: Nintendo
I’m holding out hope that we really do get FireRed and LeafGreen on the Switch. I’d put everything I’m currently playing on pause (sorry, review assignments!) to experience those games on a TV with a Pro Controller.
But, why stop at FR and LG? Let’s dip into the DS library too. Diamond and Pearl, Black and White, Platinum, give me all of it. Sell them all for $10 a pop. Hell, you can even drip feed them throughout 2026 if you want to. I just need to know they’re coming.
Luckily, we won’t have to wait long to know if this rumor has any truth to it. Pokemon Day is on February 27, and I’m confident it’ll be a big one. Hey, I’ll probably even check back in to see just how well (or poorly) things turned out for us.
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Donovan is a journalist from Maryland. His oldest gaming memory is playing Pajama Sam on his mom’s desktop during weekends. Pokémon Emerald, Halo 2, and the original Star Wars Battlefront 2 were some of the most influential titles in awakening his love for video games. After interning for Shacknews throughout college, Donovan graduated from Bowie State University in 2020 with a major in broadcast journalism and joined the team full-time. He is a huge film fanatic and will talk with you about movies and games all day. You can follow him on twitter @Donimals_
