Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire ports coming to Nintendo Switch this year says insider

Tunde Ogunbadejo is a 32-year-old game collector who has spent years scouring the internet for rare Pokémon games. When Nintendo released the Switch ports of FireRed and LeafGreen last February, Tunde was ecstatic, he had been waiting for years to relive his childhood memories on his modern console. But what really got his attention was the price tag: £16.99 for each game. It was a steep price for what essentially felt like a glorified emulator, but as the sales figures poured in, it became clear that Tunde was not alone in his willingness to pay top dollar for a piece of gaming nostalgia.

More than four million copies of FireRed and LeafGreen were sold within six weeks, and it's no wonder, the Switch is a convenient and accessible platform for gamers of all ages to relive their childhood memories. The sales figures are a resounding endorsement of Nintendo's strategy to bring classic games to the Switch, and the company is doubling down on this approach.

According to insider Shpeshal Nick, who has a reputation for accuracy when it comes to Nintendo leaks, the company is planning to release ports of Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald on the Switch later this year. The exact release date is September or October, and it's likely to be a surprise drop, given Nintendo's history of "shadow-releasing" games on the platform.

This news comes as no surprise, given the evidence that dataminers have uncovered in the source code for FireRed and LeafGreen. References to Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald were found, hinting at some sort of future compatibility between the games. The fact that these games are planned for release alongside FireRed and LeafGreen suggests that Nintendo is committed to releasing all the classic Game Boy Advance titles on the Switch.

Pokémon Gold and Silver, which are Generation II of Pokémon, are noticeably absent from Nintendo's plans. The reason for this, according to Shpeshal Nick, is that the ports so far are all Game Boy Advance titles, which are easier for Nintendo to emulate. This raises questions about the company's plans for older games like Pokémon Gold and Silver, which are currently stuck in the Wii U Virtual Console.

The success of FireRed and LeafGreen has sparked rumors that Nintendo will finally release Nintendo DS and 3DS games on the Switch. This is long overdue, given the vast number of games that are currently trapped on these systems, including Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver., how will Nintendo tackle the technical challenges of emulating these games, given the twin screen and touchscreen controls of the DS and 3DS?

For gamers like Tunde Ogunbadejo, the answer is simple: release the games, and let the gamers worry about the technical details. With the success of FireRed and LeafGreen serving as a model, it's clear that there is a market for classic games on the Switch, and Nintendo would be wise to tap into it.

As we await the release of Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald on the Switch, one thing is certain: the nostalgia-fueled success of FireRed and LeafGreen is a lesson that Nintendo will not soon forget. With their next move, they will either cement their position as the industry leader in classic game ports, or fall behind the curve.