Playdate, The Handheld With A Crank, More Than Doubles Sales Expectations

gamespot.com:

Creator Panic originally forecasted a maximum of 20,000 consoles sold.

By Evan Campbell on

The yellow handheld with a crank has sold even better than its creators expected. Panic has revealed it has sold 53,142 Playdate systems in the device's first year of availability.

Originally, only 20,000 handheld systems were ordered to be built by Panic, with the creator worried they wouldn't be bought in a good timeframe. But Panic stated in a press release that the initial batch was preordered within 20 minutes after going up for sale on July 29, 2021.

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Now Playing: Playdate Console Video Review

«When we started, we had no idea how big the audience would be for a weird product like this, but we told the factory: Build 20,000. To have now sold more than 53,000 (and counting) is heartening,» said Playdate project lead Greg Maletic.

Panic plans to ship all preorders by the end of this year, as only 27,000 Playdate systems have been sent to customers so far. Playdate also recently received a price increase, with the handheld now costing $199.

Last month, the Catalog launched on Playdate, bringing an on-device storefront to the handheld that premiered with 16 games. The initial lineup featured titles like Carve Jr. for $8 and Hidey Spot for $6.

For more on the yellow handheld, check out GameSpot's Playdate review.

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