The flagship Nintendo Switch 2 game Pokémon: Pokevia has surpassed 5 million units sold, lifting Nintendo Co., Ltd. stock by 7% in Friday's Tokyo trading session. Nintendo Co., Ltd. disclosed on Thursday that the title, launched on March 5, achieved this sales milestone in just over four months.
It is currently the second best-selling game on the Switch 2 platform, trailing only Mario Kart: World and ahead of Donkey Kong: Bananza. The game was first unveiled in September last year. As a spin-off from the main Pokémon IP line, the market initially did not view it as a major blockbuster. Its gameplay incorporates design elements from Animal Crossing, one of Nintendo Co., Ltd.'s most popular titles on the original Switch platform.
Investors are closely monitoring game sales data, as hit titles often drive console shipments, and the Switch 2 currently faces growth headwinds. Nintendo Co., Ltd. raised the price of the Switch 2, which has been on the market for just over a year, due to rising memory chip costs. In the June-July-September quarter, Switch 2 console sales totaled 3.82 million units, a year-on-year decline of 34.4%. The company projects total Switch 2 sales of 16.5 million units for the current fiscal year ending March 31, 2027, a figure also below the previous fiscal year.
On Thursday, Nintendo Co., Ltd. also announced expansion packs and version updates for Pokémon: Pokevia to attract new players and retain existing users. Nintendo Co., Ltd. stock is still down over 16% year-to-date. However, the shares have rallied more than 26% over the past month, as investors bet on an improving company outlook and anticipate major upcoming titles to boost console sales. Nintendo Co., Ltd. plans to release a remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time on the Switch 2, a classic that originally debuted on the N64 console in the late 1990s. Additionally, two new Pokémon titles are scheduled for release next year. Pokémon and Zelda are two of Nintendo Co., Ltd.'s most powerful IP franchises.
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