Pokémon Omega Ruby And Alpha Sapphire Are “Full Remakes” Says Nintendo President

Earlier today, Nintendo and The Pokémon Company announced Pokémon Omega Ruby and Pokémon Alpha Sapphire for the Nintendo 3DS. The two games are scheduled for worldwide release this November.

However, there’s been some debate as to just what these games are. The teaser trailer for the two titles contains obscure statements such as “explore a dramatic new world,” which led some people to believe that they might be sequels or spin-offs of Pokémon Ruby and Pokémon Sapphire, rather than remakes.

This is not the case, it would seem. During a financial results briefing, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata explicitly referred to the two games as “full-remakes” of Pokémon Ruby and Pokémon Sapphire. Iwata noted that the original Ruby/Sapphire have sold 16.22 million copies worldwide. (Over 5.44 million of those copies having been sold in Japan.)

That said, while Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire have been confirmed as remakes, there is that matter of the “new world” bit that The Pokémon Company keeps pushing. Even their press release mentions a “spectacular new world,” but just what they mean by this remains to be seen. It could be PR fluff or it could actually mean something.