The Pokemon series has long been Nintendo’s cash cow. The newest entries in the series, Pokemon Sun and Moon, will be unleashed upon us in just a few weeks. But are people still interested in the video games, or is it just a cultural phenomenon that has left the games behind?
According to a press release from Nintendo, the Pokemon games are still going strong. Pokemon Sun and Moon are the most pre-ordered game in Nintendo’s history. The demo has been downloaded over three million times and is the most downloaded demo in the 3DS shop.
The President of Nintendo, Tatsumi Kimishima, gave a few reasons for why he believes there is so much interest in the next iteration of the series, but one in particular stands out: Pokemon GO. Even though the augmented reality game is for smartphones, it drove a huge increase in sales for the 3DS and created a huge surge in popularity for the pocket monsters. Although it has fallen a bit by the wayside at this point, there is no denying the cultural impact it had (and still has), and Nintendo saw that translate to a sales increase in their handheld gaming systems.
In addition to the new games themselves, Nintendo will also release new variants on the 3DS XL and 2DS that will feature exclusive Pokemon designs. Nintendo is clearly hoping that this first series release after the phenomenon of Pokemon GO will bring many new 3DS users into the fold.
Pokemon Sun and Moon release on November 18 for the Nintendo 3DS. You can read our preview here – our Matthew Herst says the demo and preview information is “already reinvigorating my love of the series.”
Have you pre-ordered Sun or Moon yet? Who is your starter going to be? Let us know in the comments below!
