Nintendo: some sales data for France (Pokémon Sun and Moon, 3DS, NES Mini)
Philippe Lavoué (from Nintendo France) frequently shares some sales data for Nintendo consoles and games in France, and he did so again last week. Naturally, he shared some sales data for Pokémon Sun and Moon, which is off to a fantastic start in the country.
During the first week, Pokémon Sun and Moon sold over 425 000 units in France: that’s by far the best launch ever for a Nintendo game. As comparison, here’s how the game sold in two other European countries:
- United Kingdom: 368 000 units
- Germany: 347 000 units
And as of writing, the game has most definitely reached 500 000 units sold already. Nintendo expects sales to top 700 000 units by the end of the year, and 1 million units sometime in 2017.
Philippe Lavoué explains that, in general, Nintendo 3DS best-sellers need 2 to 4 years in order to reach 1 million units in France, and Pokémon Sun and Moon is poised to reach that milestone in a significantly shorter timeframe (less than a year). In fact, Pokémon X and Y (released in 2013) still hasn’t reached it yet, though it’s getting close.
To give you a clear picture of how strong Pokémon Sun and Moon sales have been, here’s how the previous two Pokémon titles sold at launch:
- Pokémon X and Y: 125 000 units
- Pokémon Omega Ruby / Alpha Sapphire: 180 000 units
For Philippe Lavoué, it’s pretty clear this success is due to Pokémon GO, which isn’t all that surprising since the mobile game already boosted sales for Pokémon Omega Ruby / Alpha Sapphire this Summer. To him, it’s the proof that there can be a strong synergy between Nintendo’s mobile games and its dedicated platforms and games.
Naturally, Nintendo expects the same to happen with Super Mario Run. According to Nintendo’s own studies, 85% of players in France discovered video games thanks to Mario, though many of them haven’t played a Mario game in a long time. They expect Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS (but also the new Mario on the Nintendo Switch) to benefit from the launch of Super Mario Run.
Speaking of the Nintendo Switch, it looks like there’s already a strong interest for the platform among players. According to Olivier Garcia (from the FNAC, a major retailer chain), many people have expressed their interest for the Nintendo Switch, inquiring about the release date or the start of pre-orders.
Back to Pokémon Sun and Moon: it also had a strong impact on Nintendo 3DS sales, with 55 000 units sold at launch. It looks like the Nintendo 2DS bundle was pretty popular, as it amounts to 50% of those sales. Philippe Lavoué notes that Pokémon has always been a system seller for Nintendo platforms, but never on such a scale.
According to Nintendo’s own studies, many of those who bought Pokémon Sun and Moon had not played a Pokémon games since the very beginnings, on GameBoy. Many others bought it in order to play with their children, it seems.
Finally, we have some sales data for the Nintendo Classic Mini: Nintendo Entertainment System, which has been really popular… too popular, even. There were 100 000 units for launch, and everything was sold with just pre-orders. Nintendo has been sending new shipments regularly, but it doesn’t seem to be enough.
For Olivier Garcia, Nintendo could very well have sold 300 000 units of the Nintendo Classic Mini: Nintendo Entertainment System had they been able to keep up with demand. Every time new units go live on Fnac.com, they’re all gone within 10 minutes, and no units end up on shelf.
Nintendo is well aware of their underestimating demand for the Nintendo Classic Mini: Nintendo Entertainment System, and they plan on shipping new units regularly in December and in early 2017. Quite interestingly, according to the FNAC, most of people buying the retro console are not “gamers”.
It looks like Nintendo is going to have a great holiday period in France, and it could be even better if they get the Nintendo Classic Mini: Nintendo Entertainment System stock issues under control.
Source: Le Figaro
