Remember when Pokémon GO came out (only just about 1.5 months ago), and a bunch of people invested in Nintendo and sent he company’s stock value soaring? Remember how some of those people then heard that Nintendo didn’t actually stand to make money directly off of the game and sold off those shares in disappointment? Behold the far-reaching effects of Pokémania that those people underestimated: 3DS and Pokémon game sales have gone through the roof.
Sure, the bump won’t stay this noticeable for long, but the numbers are strong validation for the notion that Nintendo would benefit off of Pokémon GO whether or not they were the ones taking in its insane amounts of cash directly. In a press release, the company touted the 3DS as the best-selling game console for all of July according to NPD numbers, selling 80% more consoles than the same time last year. That was helped by strong sales of Monster Hunter Generations after it launched in several territories on July 15 and became the best-selling game of the month across all systems, but Pokémon was no slouch in pushing 3DS over the top.
Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, which launched back in November of 2014, also enjoyed an 80% sales boost. Even better, the most recent (non-remake) games in the series, Pokémon X and Y, saw a full 200% sales boost this July compared to last year. Those games will be a full three years old in October, but you wouldn’t know it by the sales spurred by estranged fans’ reignited passion for the series. (Personally, I’m replaying SoulSilver.)
So, while Nintendo may have disappointed people when they let everyone know they didn’t stand to take in a huge profit from Pokémon GO, the mobile phenomenon has certainly raised the value of the Pokémon brand, and the company is already reaping the rewards. That’s good news when they’ve got two new Pokémon games on the way in the fall. Meanwhile, on GO developer Niantic’s end, they’re taking action to protect the game from cheaters, and those whose accounts exhibit “clear signs of cheating” will soon find themselves banned.
If you’re looking for even more Pokémon and don’t quite want to drop the money on the 3DS games (or already played through them all again), you can also check out the Pokémon trading card game, video game, and Pokkén Tournament world championships this weekend. (Schedule and streaming links here.)
(image via The Pokémon Company)
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