Pre-orders for Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen have pushed the 22-year-old Game Boy Advance remakes to the top of Nintendo's eShop sales charts, validating a controversial pricing strategy that bypasses subscription services.
Nintendo confirmed last week that both titles will launch simultaneously on Switch and Switch 2 this Friday, February 27, priced at £16.99 ($20) each as standalone purchases rather than additions to the Nintendo Switch Online library.
The release coincides with Pokémon Day celebrations marking the franchise's 30th anniversary.
Originally released in 2004 as enhanced remakes of the original Red and Blue games, FireRed and LeafGreen introduced improved graphics, audio, and new post-game areas like the Sevii Islands while preserving the original Kanto region adventure with all 151 first-generation Pokémon.
Despite vocal complaints about paying premium prices for decades-old software without modern enhancements or online features, sales data shows significantly more players are willing to purchase than protest.
The digital-only releases include local wireless play for battling and trading but lack online functionality at launch.
Nintendo removed previously mentioned support for Pokémon Home compatibility from official listings shortly after announcement, leaving uncertainty about whether players will eventually be able to transfer their Pokémon between titles using the cloud service.
"Users would appreciate the ultimate versions of those original adventures."
The company explained its decision to release these enhanced versions rather than the original Red and Blue by stating users would "appreciate the ultimate versions of those original adventures." The simultaneous launch across current and next-generation hardware establishes a template likely to be repeated with future retro releases.
With theories circulating about potential DS support arriving on Switch 2, Nintendo could eventually sell all five generations of mainline Pokémon games side-by-side through this direct purchase model rather than subscription access.
