Nintendo puts bet on new Pokemon
Gaming firm aiming to boost Switch sales
Nintendo Co. is gambling that it can sell millions of Switch consoles this holiday season by introducing a new Pokemon game that interacts with the free-to-play mobile hit Pokemon Go, as well as a new character that resembles a hex nut.
Let’s Go Pikachu and Let’s Go Eevee go on sale Friday globally, the first titles from the popular series for Nintendo’s newest console. Armed with richer graphics, the games are designed to appeal to the 850 million fans who have played Pokemon Go. Only those who buy the new Let’s Go games can sync their smartphones and Switch consoles through a bluetooth connection. Doing so lets users transfer pocket monsters between the mobile app and Switch games, and also unlock Meltan, the new character.
Nintendo is aiming to boost Switch sales. Analysts point to 2016, when Pokemon Go’s debut reignited interest in buying 3DS consoles to play more games in the series. They estimate Meltan can help sell 7.5 million units of the new titles by March, according to four analyst projections compiled by Bloomberg. By comparison, the Pokemon series has sold 101 million titles on Nintendo devices since 2004, second only to the Super Mario franchise with 121 million, according to Nintendo’s data.
“Pokemon Go had a significant positive impact on 3DS hardware and Pokemon software sales, so I think the potential is there for a similar impact on Switch,” said Piers HardingRolls, head of games research at IHS Markit.
“Nintendo believes this will make a great gifting product over the holiday sales season and is a key reason it hasn’t dropped its Switch full year shipment forecast.”
At the same time, the move to link the new Switch game titles to Pokemon Go has alienated some members of the Pokemon community, who say Meltan’s introduction is a cheap move aimed at fans who like to collect every available pocket monster. That, they say, forces gamers to spend at least $360 (U.S.) to buy a Switch and a Let’s Gogame. As a result, some say that Nintendo is making it very difficult for fans to achieve the motto of the series, “Gotta Catch ’Em All.”