So, Should Pokémon Red And Blue Return For The 30th Anniversary?

Image: Nintendo Life

With Pokémon’s 30th anniversary celebrations underway, fans are quite rightly curious about how Nintendo and The Pokémon Company might acknowledge the games that started it all.

Yes, without Pokémon Red and Blue (and Green), there would be no Pokémon and no 30th anniversary celebrations. Almost 10 years ago for the 20th anniversary, classic Pokémon games were added to the 3DS eShop on 27th February 2016. Users could buy these à la carte, long before Nintendo started to lean on subscription models for its retro games, and it made for an appropriate way to acknowledge the important milestone.

A new, unsubstantiated rumour from known Pokémon leaker Riddler_Khu (thanks, Vice Gaming) suggests that Nintendo might be gearing up to launch Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen on the Switch for the 30th anniversary.

It’s not clear whether these might be available via Nintendo Switch online or as standalone purchases (or, indeed, whether it’s even a remotely credible claim at all), but it would make for a substantial addition to the GBA catalogue. Certainly, it would convince many Switch Online subscribers to upgrade to the more expensive Expansion Pack tier.

Whether this claim from Riddler_Khu is credible or not (and history suggests that their trustworthiness is sketchy at best these days), it’s nevertheless inspired us to speculate on whether classic Pokémon games will make a return for the 30th anniversary. And if they will, in what form should they take?

So, let us know what you think, dear readers, by voting in the below polls and leaving a comment in the usual place.

Should Pokémon Red and Blue return for the 30th anniversary? (1,147 votes)
Are you kidding? Of course!68%That would be neat, I guess13%Not fussed either way7%Nah, let’s move on already5%I’d prefer a later generation7%

If not Red and Blue, which mainline Pokémon games should make a comeback? (1,019 votes)
Pokémon Yellow Version: Special Pikachu Edition (GB)13%Pokémon Gold And Silver (GBC)23%Pokémon Crystal (GBC)8%Pokémon Ruby & Sapphire (GBA)5%Pokémon Emerald (GBA)8%Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen (GBA)20%Pokémon Diamond & Pearl (DS) 0.8%Pokémon Platinum (DS)3%Pokémon Black and White (DS)12%Pokémon Black and White 2 (DS)3%Other (comment!)3%

Finally, in which format should the classic games be made available? (969 votes)
Standalone eShop release24%Full physical release on cart39%Nintendo Switch Online release36%None, let them die1%

[source x.com, via vice.com]

Nintendo Life’s resident horror fanatic, when he’s not knee-deep in Resident Evil and Silent Hill lore, Ollie likes to dive into a good horror book while nursing a lovely cup of tea. He also enjoys long walks and listens to everything from TOOL to Chuck Berry.

So, Should Pokémon Red And Blue Return For The 30th Anniversary?

Tags: