Let’s go and eclipse the sales of Nintendo Switch’s debut Pokémon entry!
So, how did you feel about Pokémon: Let’s Go Pikachu and Eevee? Was it a fun and nostalgic little romp through Kanto, or a simple placeholder to placate franchise fans while Game Freak beavered away on Pokémon Sword & Shield? Ultimately, that depends on who you ask.
Let’s Go Pikachu and Eevee weren’t the big Generation VIII titles that many Pokémaniacs were hoping for, that’s for sure. With the lack of Pokémon Abilities, held items and such, they were seen by some as throwaway, casual experiences; some of the core crowd refused to touch them as a result. They certainly didn’t bomb, bringing legions of new Switch owners on board in time for last year’s holiday season, but there was a lot of untapped potential left for Pokémon to hit on the system.
Will Sword and Shield be the games that do the series justice on the hybrid handheld? Its true legacy remains to be seen, but the recent launch of the mainline entries were also very controversial. Between the National Dex cuts, the laziness with the move animations and so on, many were quick to trash the games and propose a boycott. Naturally, main series Pokémon games being main series Pokémon games, they sold like hotcakes regardless.
As Go Nintendo reports, Japanese statistics have recently come to light which demonstrate just how well Pokémon Sword & Shield have been doing in their brief life to date. In less than two weeks (ten days, to be precise), 1,740,084 copies have been sold in Japan. By contrast, since its release on November 16 last year, Let’s Go Pikachu and Eevee have managed 1,661,155 sales.
This is a phenomenal success for Sword & Shield, especially in light of the recent controversy surrounding the game. We don’t have the full worldwide totals, surrounding factors like digital downloads, but one thing’s for sure: that’s a very strong start indeed. With the holidays upon us, who knows how many more copies Nintendo and Game Freak will be able to unload?
Source: GoNintendo