The Pokemon Company and Nintendo made the surprise announcement that Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen are coming to Nintendo Switch next week, but some fans are puzzled by the unusual standalone release of these retro Game Boy Advance classics. While a Nintendo FAQ did little to elaborate on why these games aren’t coming to Nintendo Switch Online, the official word is fascinating regardless.
One prompt in the Nintendo Support FAQ reads, “Why are you handling these classic games differently?” The answer states: “In celebration of 30 years of Pokémon, we thought it would be fun to return to the ultimate versions of the original Pokemon adventures in the Kanto region with these special releases.” It’s a response that largely dodges the core concern of the question.
In the FAQ, Nintendo also stated that it “thought users will appreciate the ultimate versions of those original adventures” rather than releasing the original Red and Blue for Game Boy. When addressing whether those original versions would be a part of Nintendo Switch Online, the FAQ simply lists every Pokemon spin-off title already in the Nintendo Classics library, adding that the company has “nothing to announce regarding any other potential titles.”
