Did you miss a session from GamesBeat Summit 2022? All sessions are available to stream now. Learn more.
It’s a simple formula. Nintendo and The Pokémon Company put out new games and millions of people show up to buy them. That worked extraordinarily well during Nintendo’s last fiscal year. The company had multiple massive Pokémon debuts as well as a number of ongoing catalogue hits. And that pushed the series to over 30 million copies sold in the 12-month period ending March 31.
The newly release Pokémon Legends: Arceus and Pokémon Brilliant Diamond/Shining Pearl were the biggest movers for the brand. The former sold 12.64 million copies since its debut and the latter 14.65 million copies. That is a massive back-to-back performance for the series that puts Pokémon-series sales at 27 million copies for the year.
But then the IP also got help from 3.18 million additional copies sold of Pokémon Sword and Shield, 2.4 million copies of New Pokémon Snap, and 1.25 million for Let’s Go, Pikachu/Eevee.
This money-printing factory isn’t slowing down either. Nintendo and The Pokémon Company are releasing a new generation of games, Scarlet and Violet, later this year. Those games will likely also race to 12 million copies sold and beyond.
GamesBeat's creed when covering the game industry is «where passion meets business.» What does this mean? We want to tell you how the news matters to you — not just as a decision-maker at a game studio, but also as a fan of games. Whether you read our articles, listen to our podcasts, or watch our videos, GamesBeat will help you learn about the industry and enjoy engaging with it. Learn more about membership.
Read more on venturebeat.com