Boxed release confirmed for Virtual Console's Pokémon Gold and Silver

Nintendo of Europe has announced that it will release a boxed version of Pokémon Gold and Silver next month to coincide with their addition to the 3DS Virtual Console.

That's not to say the games will be released on a physical cartridge, of course. Instead, this will be a download code within a box - much like Nintendo did with Splatoon 2 in Japan earlier this year.

Nintendo announced via Twitter that the boxes for Pokémon Gold and Silver will be released on September 22nd, the same day as the duo arrives on Virtual Console. They have been designed to match the original artwork of the Game Boy Colour games, which debuted in Japan in 1999, North America in 2000 and Europe in 2001.

Aside from being something for superfans to collect, the releases will also tap in to the heightened awareness of Pokémon at retail. Following the launch of Pokémon Go last summer, sales of 3DS titles like Omega Ruby, Alpha Sapphire and even older titles like X and Y soared. Collectively the four games sold 3.1m units within nine months.

This appetite for full Pokémon games extended to the subsequent release of Pokémon Sun and Moon, which became the most pre-sold games in Nintendo's history and then the fastest selling launch the platform holder had ever seen in the UK (among other territories).

Revived interest in Pokémon even drove The Pokémon Company's profits up by 2,500%.