Nintendo says the Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet games for the Nintendo Switch have hit the company’s all-time sales record. Pokémon is one of the most famous and oldest Nintendo franchises.
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Nintendo on Thursday said its latest Pokémon games have set sales records at the Japanese game giant as it continues to churn out blockbusters ahead of the key holiday season.
The Kyoto, Japan-based company said sales of the Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet games for the Nintendo Switch surpassed 10 million units in the first three days of its global launch on November 18.
That’s the highest grossing game release in Nintendo’s history.
Nintendo’s success with Pokémon comes after two months after Splatoon 3 hit a domestic sales record In Japan, there are signs that the game giant is attracting players ahead of the holiday season.
Pokémon is one of Nintendo’s most popular and longest-lived franchises. Nintendo breathed new life into the series by releasing Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield three years ago and Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl last year.
Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet are different because they are open world games, allowing the player to explore the game environment without completing quests in a linear manner.
The video game industry has seen a boom during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021 as people are stuck at home during the lockdown. But as economies reopened, the industry has begun to normalize, which has weighing on the video game giants including Nintendo, sony and Microsoft.
Serkan Toto, CEO of Tokyo-based consulting firm Kantan Games, told CNBC: “With the new Pokémon, Nintendo has achieved a feat rare among all video game companies: scored two blockbusters in the industry’s tough 2022.”
“Sure, Pokémon is almost always a safe bet, but the new game has exceeded expectations, just as Splatoon 3 did earlier this year.”
Investors are backing Nintendo thanks to its recent blockbuster movies. The company’s shares are up more than 11% this year, far exceeding Japanese standards Nikkei225 Table of contents. In September, Nintendo made a Share 10 get 1 free This has also boosted sentiment.
Nintendo also has a robust game system. Toto hopes The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, scheduled for release in May, will be the company’s next big hit.
But Nintendo isn’t the only game giant entering the holiday season strong.
Sony said Wednesday that its title God of War Ragnarok for its PlayStation console sold 5.1 million copies in its first week, making it the best-selling first of its games. first party for the company. First-party games are those created by Sony-owned game studios.
Sony shares closed 2% higher in Japan on Thursday.
