Pokémon FireRed & LeafGreen Data Mine Hints at Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald Re-Releases

Recently, data from Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen were mined to uncover new insights into the brand. This information raises some interesting questions about what might happen next with the classic Game Boy Advance games.

A story says that a data miner looked more closely at the code that runs the new versions of the games. They found more than just emulation, which suggests that these leaks are the result of more work than many people first thought.

It is said that the games use the same emulator architecture as the Nintendo Switch Online Game Boy Advance library.

But the finding showed that this emulator sends telemetry data back to Nintendo. This data tracks things like which Pokémon players catch and at what level they catch them. Even more interesting, the ROMs are said to be brand-new builds with highly customized revisions. The files don't just look like copies of the 2004 releases; they have been changed in important ways, like adding emulation hacks specifically for these games.

All of that would be interesting on its own, but what really caught fans' attention were references to other Pokémon games for the Game Boy Advance found in the emulator code. The database search found references to Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald built into the FireRed and LeafGreen emulator system. This doesn't prove that those titles are coming out, but it does make you wonder.

Just mentioning other games in the code doesn't mean that they will be released in the future.

Developers often reuse frameworks or emulators that can run multiple games. Still, the fact that these specific Hoenn-region games are named suggests that compatibility has been thought about, or maybe even tested.

Pokémon HOME integration adds another level to this topic. Now that it's official that players can move caught Pokémon to Pokémon HOME, FireRed and LeafGreen are no longer just nostalgic games to play again. They can now be used as starting places for long-term collections, which makes the idea of Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald coming even more appealing.

For longtime fans, revisiting Kanto through the 2004 remakes is still a big hit. A lot of players are already jumping back in to enjoy the first-generation story in what was, at the time, its most up-to-date form. A lot of years later, the charm is still very strong.

Some people might not agree on how Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald should be released if they do make it to Nintendo's newer systems.

FireRed and LeafGreen could be bought separately rather than included with the Nintendo Switch Online subscription. The Hoenn games could be sold in the same way. Some fans might say these old games should be part of the ongoing subscription service rather than sold separately for $20 each. Nintendo Switch Online was made to let you access old libraries, and many users think Pokémon games for the Game Boy Advance would fit right in.

A large part of the audience, on the other hand, would rather make a one-time purchase than pay for access regularly.

For these players, paying once grants permanent ownership without requiring a membership. At this point, there has been no formal word about Ruby, Sapphire, or Emerald. Instead of putting out all of its classic games at once, it wouldn't be surprising if The Pokémon Company decided to spread them out over a few years.

Even so, the fact that those games are in the emulator code is an extremely interesting find. Whether it means plans are coming together soon or just planning for the future, one thing is clear: Hoenn could come back, which is enough to get longtime trainers talking.