Nintendo claims that the success ofPokemon GOhelps to raise sales of the 3DS, as the handheld console gets named as the best selling system of July 2015.
Earlier this year we claimed that 2016 would be theYear ofPokemon, something that seems to have become true given the success of Niantic’s AR game,Pokemon GO. Not only this, but the hype surrounding the upcoming release ofPokemon SunandMoonhas many Nintendo fans beginning torelive their childhood passionsfor the franchise.
The success ofPokemon GOcan be seen directly through the rise in 3DS sales, claims Nintendo. In July, the NPD Group’s monthly North American sales report showed that the system’s sales have increased 80% year-on-year, making it the best-selling system of the month. According to the Big N itself, the sales increase comes courtesy ofPokemon GO’s popularity.
While the latestPokemontitle doesn’t have a physical release, nor does it require a 3DS to play it, the excitement of a newPokemongame appears to have caused gamers to remember that the franchise is still very much alive and kicking, making many wonder what has changed since the original games first released in the 90’s.
According to further statistics offered up byvg247.com,Pokemon XandYsales have raised 200% year-on-year over July 2015, which helps to show that thePokemonseries is almost certainly behind the 3DS sales boost.Alpha SapphireandOmega Ruby, the latest main series remasters, are also up 80% year-on-year.
Despite Nintendo’s statement, it’s actuallyMonster Hunter Generationsthat stands at the top of the best-selling charts for this month. A game with a devoted fanbase, there’s little doubt thatMonster Hunterfans would look into buying a 3DS to play, especially after the franchise’s previous success on the console.
Pokemon Omega Rubytook 8th place on the charts, withKirby: Planet Robobotlanding itself a place at number 11 for this month. All in all, the 3DS is having an extremely strong month – something that’s likely to carry on for the rest of the year, thanks toPokemon SunandMoon.
Despite being a free-to-play game,Pokemon GOis doing very well for itself, at one point raking in almost half of all microtransactions on the app store. The game’s freemium system has been designed in a way that seems to draw in even those that usually avoid spending money on free games, withover one million UK playershaving spent money on the title.
And although Nintendo don’t have much of a hand inPokemon GO, it seems that the game has helped raise profits for the company in other ways.
Pokemon GOis available now for iOS and Android devices.
