Are Game Freak Teasing Remakes Of Pokémon Ruby And Sapphire?

Game Freak have already developed remakes of Pokémon Red/Blue and Pokémon Gold/Silver, but they haven’t gotten around to doing remakes of Pokémon Ruby/Sapphire yet. Last year was the two games’ 10th anniversary, and to mark the occasion, Game Freak distributed their mascot legendaries, Kyogre and Groudon, to Pokémon Black 2/White 2 players.

While the Wi-Fi distribution was a nice gesture, those remakes may actually be very heavily under consideration. Kotaku came across a Twitter account that has been collecting a list of teases and references to Ruby/Sapphire in the recently released Pokémon X and Pokémon Y. Here’s a look at a few of them:

And those are just a few of the Ruby/Sapphire references you’ll come across in the game. Game Freak aren’t oblivious. They knew exactly how people would perceive these references, and yet, they chose to put them in anyway. In my book, that has to mean something. And hey, the very first Wi-Fi distribution for Pokémon X and Pokémon Y just so happens to be for a Torchic—one of the starters from Pokémon Ruby/Sapphire. At this rate, I’d almost expect Blaziken to be the next Super Smash Bros. reveal.

It isn’t as though Pokémon remakes sell badly either. Nintendo revealed yesterday that Pokémon FireRed/LeafGreen and Pokémon HeartGold/SoulSilver have both sold in the vicinity of 12 million copies each.