The beloved Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen are making a comeback on the Switch, but a cloud of mystery hangs over their compatibility with Pokémon Home, even as they surge to the top of the eShop charts!
Last week, the gaming world buzzed with the news that Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen, two iconic titles from the Game Boy Advance era, are set to grace the Nintendo Switch. Normally, such a revival would be met with widespread cheers. However, instead of appearing on the Nintendo Switch Online service, Nintendo and The Pokémon Company have opted for a direct paid re-release, with each game retailing for a rather significant £16.99 (or approximately $20). This pricing model has certainly raised a few eyebrows.
Initially, there was a glimmer of hope with mentions of Pokémon Home support. For those new to the scene, Pokémon Home is a fantastic cloud-based service that allows trainers to store their Pokémon and, crucially, transfer them between different compatible games, even across generations. This feature would have offered a much-needed justification for the purchase, especially considering the games are otherwise quite barebones.
But here's where it gets controversial... Shortly after the announcement, eagle-eyed fans noticed that all references to Pokémon Home compatibility had been mysteriously scrubbed from the eShop listings for both FireRed and LeafGreen. This has led to a flurry of speculation. Was this feature never truly intended, or perhaps was it an announcement meant for a later date, like an upcoming Pokémon Presents stream? It's also possible that the feature is still in development and the teams are hesitant to commit publicly until they are absolutely certain it will work flawlessly. Given that Pokémon Home integration would be the only truly new feature being added to these ports, it's understandable why the information might have slipped out prematurely.
And this is the part most people miss... As of now, there's no official confirmation that Pokémon Home will indeed be compatible with this re-release of the Game Boy Advance classics. Each purchase also comes with only a single language, so you'll need to choose wisely if you decide to take the plunge! Despite this uncertainty and the lack of new content or graphical upgrades, and even without online play or trading (only local wireless is supported), Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen have managed to climb to the very top of the eShop charts in anticipation of their launch on February 27th.
What do you think about this decision to re-release the games as paid downloads rather than through Nintendo Switch Online? And do you believe the Pokémon Home compatibility will eventually be added, or is it a lost cause? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
