When Ruby and Sapphire first came out back in 2002, the first thing that instantly stuck out to fans was the lack of trading compatibility with RBY and GSC. The GBA used a completely different link cable than the GB/C, and the data structure of the Pokémon in RS was completely different from those in RBY/GSC. This left a whopping 184 of the previous 251 Pokémon completely unobtainable in the newest games, despite their sprites and data existing in RS.
Remaking RBY on RS' engine offered a cheap, easy solution to that dilemma at the time. GF didn't have to spend time creating a new story and region, and as a bonus, it allowed them to reintroduce Gen 1 to the younger generation of fans who missed out on Pokémania, as well as possibly even bring back older fans who were turned away by RS' hard reboot.
While FireRed and LeafGreen got a somewhat mixed reception (many fans complained about the games being too similar to the originals and taking away more features than adding new ones), they still did well enough to set a precedent. It wasn't long until there was a demand for GSC remakes, and those demands were met in 2009 with HeartGold and SoulSilver.
And, like FRLG before it, HGSS also helped fill many compatibility holes. Up until then, Gen 2 was the last generation that could not be played on the DS (since Gen 1 was made playable via its remakes), and it was also the last generation to not have the "modern" stat system that was introduced with RS. Many of the old GSC carts had also become literally unplayable by then due to dead batteries. A large chunk of Gen 1-3 Pokémon were also completely unobtainable for those who owned a DSi, since the DSi couldn't Pal Park Pokémon in from the GBA games.
The cycle yet again repeated itself 5 years later with OmegaRuby and AlphaSapphire and for many of the exact same reasons as HGSS--the originals couldn't be played on the newest handheld, the old carts suffered from dead batteries, lots of fans wanted it, and so on. Predictably, many fans are now expecting Diamond and Pearl remakes to come out in 2019.
However, something unexpected happened in early 2016, not long after the release of ORAS--the original RBY were released on the 3DS Virtual Console. Even more than that, the games were made compatible with Pokémon Bank and the upcoming Gen 7 games, Sun and Moon. Suddenly, the very same games that were rendered obsolete by RS' compatibility cut 14 years ago have been brought back into the modern era, and all without being remade.
I can't emphasize enough on what a huge game-changer this is. GF has now literally figured out a way to make old games current and fully compatible without remaking them, and considering the main reasons why GF started remaking games in the first place, one has to wonder if we may see an end to remakes in favor of VC re-releases.
In the long run, just re-releasing the older games is more practical than remaking them. It obviously costs less for GF to do, and it also gives them more time to focus on making new games instead of continuously rehashing old ones.
Plus, a lot of people forget that even remakes can eventually become outdated and obsolete, themselves. Look at FRLG, for example. Despite being more updated than RBY, the games are still over a decade old and are missing A LOT of things that have been introduced into the series since the GBA era. What do you do when remakes become old and outdated? Do you remake them, too?
So, yes, I think the era of remaking Pokémon games has finally come to a close. Thanks to the Virtual Console and Pokémon Bank, remakes are no longer necessary for bringing old games into the modern era, which I frankly don't mind at all.
