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With the hype around Pokemon Go/Pokemon in general recently, plus the content that is in the demos; it's hardly surprising.
For years, Nintendo seemed incredibly hesitant to dip their toe into mobile, and many supporters of that idea argued that if they did so, it would cannibalize sales from their own dedicated handhelds if suddenly you could play Pokémon games on your iPhone.
Well, now you can play a Pokémon game on your iPhone in the form of Pokémon GO, but the effect seems to be the exact opposite. While Pokémon has always been a successful series for Nintendo, because of how much of a worldwide phenomenon GO has been, it seems to have raised interesting in Pokémon Sun and Moon across the board.
First, there was the definitely-not-coincidental spike in 3DS sales, where Pokémon GO actually helped to double sales of the handheld in July and August, as players fell back in love with Nintendo, and many wanted to play other, actual Pokémon games on the system.
Today, we have news that Pokémon Sun and Moon are officially the most pre-ordered games in Nintendo's history. Here's the full announcement:
"Today, Nintendo announced that Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon are officially the best pre-selling games in Nintendo history. Additionally, the Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon Special Demo Version is the most downloaded demo on the Nintendo 3DS eShop in Nintendo History!
With the launch of the first Pokémon video games 20 years ago, the Pokémon brand quickly became a global sensation and hasn't left popular culture since. The Pokémon brand's 20-year celebration in 2016 has ignited fans' passion for the beloved franchise across the country and around the world with a wide variety of initiatives and new launches. As part of this banner year for the iconic franchise, video game players are no doubt anticipating the launch of the upcoming Nintendo 3DS games, Pokémon Sun andPokémon Moon, on November 18."
While it doesn't mention Pokémon GO by name, that's certainly in the "new launches" category, and I don't just think they're referring to Detective Pikachu.
That is insanely impressive, given that the other hardware has sold better than the 3DS, and other games like Zelda and Smash Bros. have assuredly racked up tons of pre-sales. Again, I am still firmly against the concept of pre-ordering games in general, but I can't deny that this is a pretty big deal for Nintendo. The company is in ones of its darkest periods in ages in terms of its financials, so having a hugely anticipated game like this about to be released is no insignificant feat.
Pokémon Sun and Moon's upcoming success raises interesting questions about the Nintendo Switch. The general thought is that Nintendo will be phasing out the 3DS, dropping support of it after next year, and they won't replace it with anything. The Switch is the entire ballgame for them going forward.
So, either Pokémon helps the Switch become a massive success when the next pair of games are released for that system alone, and everyone buys a console so they can play them. Or players miss the traditional handheld-style of Pokémon, and if the Switch's mobile capabilities aren't up to snuff, that's a lot of lost potential on both the hardware and software side. The one constant in Nintendo's catalog over the years is a dedicated handheld paired with a Pokémon game. What happens when they throw a wrench into that? I'm very curious to find out.
Regardless, I'm glad that Pokémon GO seems to have proven that point that Nintendo can find success on mobile, while at the same time, use that interest to drive purchases of their core products. I haven't worked in an actual office in almost a decade, but I believe the folks with the suits and ties call that "synergy."
Sun and Moon are going to be massive for Nintendo, and will be a global hit during a time when the company desperately needs them. Expect them to be one of the biggest success stories of the holiday across all platforms, and one of the biggest Nintendo has had in years.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/insert...n-nintendos-biggest-hit-in-ages/#3d0fecfa212b
For years, Nintendo seemed incredibly hesitant to dip their toe into mobile, and many supporters of that idea argued that if they did so, it would cannibalize sales from their own dedicated handhelds if suddenly you could play Pokémon games on your iPhone.
Well, now you can play a Pokémon game on your iPhone in the form of Pokémon GO, but the effect seems to be the exact opposite. While Pokémon has always been a successful series for Nintendo, because of how much of a worldwide phenomenon GO has been, it seems to have raised interesting in Pokémon Sun and Moon across the board.
First, there was the definitely-not-coincidental spike in 3DS sales, where Pokémon GO actually helped to double sales of the handheld in July and August, as players fell back in love with Nintendo, and many wanted to play other, actual Pokémon games on the system.
Today, we have news that Pokémon Sun and Moon are officially the most pre-ordered games in Nintendo's history. Here's the full announcement:
"Today, Nintendo announced that Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon are officially the best pre-selling games in Nintendo history. Additionally, the Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon Special Demo Version is the most downloaded demo on the Nintendo 3DS eShop in Nintendo History!
With the launch of the first Pokémon video games 20 years ago, the Pokémon brand quickly became a global sensation and hasn't left popular culture since. The Pokémon brand's 20-year celebration in 2016 has ignited fans' passion for the beloved franchise across the country and around the world with a wide variety of initiatives and new launches. As part of this banner year for the iconic franchise, video game players are no doubt anticipating the launch of the upcoming Nintendo 3DS games, Pokémon Sun andPokémon Moon, on November 18."
While it doesn't mention Pokémon GO by name, that's certainly in the "new launches" category, and I don't just think they're referring to Detective Pikachu.
That is insanely impressive, given that the other hardware has sold better than the 3DS, and other games like Zelda and Smash Bros. have assuredly racked up tons of pre-sales. Again, I am still firmly against the concept of pre-ordering games in general, but I can't deny that this is a pretty big deal for Nintendo. The company is in ones of its darkest periods in ages in terms of its financials, so having a hugely anticipated game like this about to be released is no insignificant feat.
Pokémon Sun and Moon's upcoming success raises interesting questions about the Nintendo Switch. The general thought is that Nintendo will be phasing out the 3DS, dropping support of it after next year, and they won't replace it with anything. The Switch is the entire ballgame for them going forward.
So, either Pokémon helps the Switch become a massive success when the next pair of games are released for that system alone, and everyone buys a console so they can play them. Or players miss the traditional handheld-style of Pokémon, and if the Switch's mobile capabilities aren't up to snuff, that's a lot of lost potential on both the hardware and software side. The one constant in Nintendo's catalog over the years is a dedicated handheld paired with a Pokémon game. What happens when they throw a wrench into that? I'm very curious to find out.
Regardless, I'm glad that Pokémon GO seems to have proven that point that Nintendo can find success on mobile, while at the same time, use that interest to drive purchases of their core products. I haven't worked in an actual office in almost a decade, but I believe the folks with the suits and ties call that "synergy."
Sun and Moon are going to be massive for Nintendo, and will be a global hit during a time when the company desperately needs them. Expect them to be one of the biggest success stories of the holiday across all platforms, and one of the biggest Nintendo has had in years.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/insert...n-nintendos-biggest-hit-in-ages/#3d0fecfa212b
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