The Pikachu character poses at a Pokémon stand during Brand Licensing Europe at Excel on October 4, 2023 in London, England.
John Keeble | Getty Images News | Getty Images
Nintendo Shares have risen 18% so far this week as hopes grew that the Pokémon game became an unexpected viral hit and could boost sales of the company’s flagship Switch 2 console.
Nintendo sold 2.2 million copies of Pokémon Pokopia in the first four days after its release last week, making it the fourth best-selling title ever for the Switch 2, which launched last year.
First announced last September, the game wasn’t thought to have the potential to become a huge hit because it’s a spin-off from the main Pokémon series.
“Pokémon Pokopia” is only available on the Switch 2, and Nintendo’s stock price rally this week is based on hopes that this may boost sales of its flagship console.
Nintendo previously predicted sales of 19 million Switch 2 units for the fiscal year ending in March. To date, 17.37 million units have been sold.
“Nintendo’s investors were anxious for the system retailer to continue its hardware momentum, and Pokopia is one of them, although it’s not a 3D Mario or a new Zelda title,” Toto said, referring to two of Nintendo’s most famous characters.
“Pokemon Pokopia” is set in an apocalyptic world where only Pokemon remain. Players must rebuild the world into a new utopia. The gameplay includes elements from Animal Crossing, one of Nintendo’s most popular games released on the original Switch.
“Pokopia is extremely well built, with high production values, deep gameplay, and strong multiplayer aspects that support its virality,” Serkan Toto, CEO of Kantan Games, told CNBC.
The game has an 89 rating on Metacritic, a closely watched game rating site, making it one of the highest ratings ever for a Pokémon game.
Even after this week’s stock rally, Nintendo stock is still down about 28% over the past six months.
The company’s stock has struggled amid rising prices for the memory used in its game consoles and growing concerns that potential price increases could impact profit margins and demand.
