Pokemon Sun and Moon Sales Cross 3.7 Million
By Rory Young 29 November 2016
Pokemon Sun and Pokemon Moon are setting sales records for the franchise in North America, crossing 3.7 million copies sold just two weeks after launching.
Pokemon has always been, and continues to be, one of Nintendo’s strongest franchises. Nintendo’s handheld platforms have always been resoundingly successful when compared to the company’s consoles. And Pokemon has always been the most successful franchise on Nintendo’s handhelds. Each title launched in the franchise iterates on the previous game in small and large ways, and so each new title finds success. The latest games, Pokemon Sun and Pokemon Moon, continue that trend in the extreme.
Today Nintendo put out a press release detailing some of Pokemon Sun and Moon‘s sales figures. The two games have combined for over 3.7 million units sold in the Americas, setting and shattering the sales records for the franchise. The sales numbers cover just the first two weeks of sales after the launch of the two games, crossing a number many big holiday releases won’t reach in their lifespans.
What’s especially impressive is Pokemon Sun and Moon‘s sales compared to those of its predecessor. Pokemon X and Pokemon Y together reached over 4 million in sales in the Americas in around 10 months, a number Pokemon Sun and Pokemon Moon are almost guaranteed to have passed. Worldwide sales of Pokemon X and Y are just under 16 million after three years, meaning Pokemon Sun and Moon‘s Americas sales alone have in two weeks produced 1/3 of those numbers. Sales of Sun and Moon are 85% higher than X and Y over the same time period.
Of course, Pokemon X and Pokemon Y are not the highest selling titles in the Pokemon franchise. That mark has been set by Pokemon Diamond, Pearl and Platinum on the Nintendo DS. Together those three games have sold over 25 million copies. However, if Sun and Moon are selling 85% stronger than X and Y which have sold over 15 million, then the titles are on pace to beat Diamond and Pearl by several million copies – albeit, over the next several years.
Don’t forget that Pokemon Sun and Moon will also have the opportunity to have a third title, like Platinum was to Pokemon Diamond and Pearl. In fact, there are already rumors swirling that the third Pokemon game to Sun and Moon will be coming in 2017, but not on the 3DS. The next Pokemon game is rumored to be in development for the Nintendo Switch, Nintendo’s next core platform. Should that happen, it could perhaps cement the legacy of both the Nintendo Switch and the Pokemon Sun and Moon generation of Pokemon titles.
Whether or not Pokemon does come to the Switch, it shouldn’t put a damper on the achievements of Pokemon Sun and Moon. 3.7 million in sales in the Americas is an impressive achievement for the Hawaii-themed RPG. Now if Nintendo would just share which starter those 3.7 million people chose so we could put the real questions to bed, because one Game Rant writer already believes Rowlet is the best Pokemon ever.
Pokemon Sun and Pokemon Moon are both currently available exclusively on the Nintendo 3DS.
