Of course, it makes perfect sense.

>release Yellow remake as series debut for Switch
>it's still gen 7 (no new Pokemon, no new region, etc)
>save the big gen 8 reveal for next year + more development cycle
>this remake is just for testing the waters on the Switch, and inflate the userbase for when the real gen 8 mainline title drops

Keep in mind Smash is coming out this year, and 18 million Switch sold is still a fairly low userbase for Pokemon

Of course, those cheeky motherfuckers at GF are doing this to stall and wait for the Switch to get more users, so their big main title sells more next year