Nintendo has officially listed Pokémon FireRed Version and Pokémon LeafGreen Version for Nintendo Switch. Both games launch February 27 on the Switch eShop for $19.99 each.
The listings appeared on the eShop showing the games as digital-exclusive releases. Each version must be purchased separately. European players will see separate language-specific versions on their storefronts at €19.99 each.
The eShop pages confirm Pokémon HOME compatibility. This means players can potentially transfer their caught Pokémon into modern games through Nintendo’s cloud storage service. The listings also specify local wireless support but no online play features.
FireRed and LeafGreen are Game Boy Advance remakes of the original Pokémon Red and Pokémon Blue. They launched in 2004 and brought the Kanto region adventure to the third generation of Pokémon games with updated mechanics like abilities and natures.
These remakes added the Sevii Islands as postgame content. The expanded area included new story elements and Pokémon not available in the original Kanto games.
The releases bypass the Nintendo Switch Online GBA library. Instead of adding them to the subscription service’s growing catalog of retro titles, Nintendo is selling them as standalone purchases.
Japan is getting a physical collector’s package that contains download codes rather than game cartridges. This mirrors how The Pokémon CompanyNintendo and The Pokémon Company just locked down 2 patents for key Pokémon game mechanics has handled some recent retro releases in the region.
This marks the first time these specific remakes have been available on modern hardware outside of original GBA cartridges. The 3DS Virtual Console got the original Game Boy versions of Red, Blue, and Yellow, but these GBA remakes feature the expanded content and generation three mechanics.
