There are a few things that could've happened. I've never really heard of a game's save file going corrupt because of really hot environments, but the problem could be that your game was fake. Or, sometimes the save files will corrupt if you accidentally cut off the power when it says, "Saving, don't turn off the power..." That's why I don't ever turn the power off until it says "LINDSEY saved the game." and that menu disappears from my screen. :)
^This happened to me in a legit Pokemon Emerald! I was saving right before a Secret Base Battle (the type you do after mixing records), and the game dislodged or something during the "
Saving. DON'T turn off the power..."sequence (either my finger nudged it accidentally or the cartridge hit another surface). Then, instead of getting the usual "
The save file is corrupt. The previous save file will be loaded" message, I unexpectedly got the message "
The save file will be erased due to corruption or damage."
Believe me, I was
pissed off after losing several Lv. 100 Pokemon, Battle Frontier records, and a legit Shiny. The file wasn't even hacked before! :cer_pissed:
Luckily, I was just doing a brief run-through of the game, so I wasn't
that dedicated to the save file. I don't get why the previous, perfectly fine save file couldn't be reloaded like it usually is during corruption... I tried shutting the power off while saving again, but the
previous-file reload worked perfectly fine like it should... :cer_confused: But you can bet I'm
extremely more careful when I save nowadays.
As to the problem highlighted in the OP, I'm guessing either the game was counterfeit and had instability (thus leading to corruption), or extreme heat did the trick. I do well to shield my electronics from extreme heat/cold as well, so I can't say for certain what the problem here is...