UK Retail: Pokemon Let's Go - Biggest opening on Switch (Down 60% compared to S/M, 5% less than X/Y)

Braaier · Nov 18, 2018

Chackan said:
So...one of the best selling Pokemons in the franchise despite all the negative criticism before the game was even out!

Looking good!

I can't think of any other game that received as much negative coverage prior to release and then turned out to be really good. I haven't paid that close of attention to the game but I'm curious if some of the vocal haters have changed their tune. Still seeing a ton of negative remarks in these threads, but it's from the usual suspects

CaviarMeths · Nov 18, 2018

V0ltg said:
Yeah, pretty great numbers all around. But man, I just don't know anymore. I'm no dick who wishes projects (a lot of passionate people worked on) to do bad numbers, so I'm obviously happy that a "new" game from one of my favorite franchises is doing so great.
I just don't know what to think if Let's Go does much much better numbers than other remakes, mainly because I don't want the obligatory gen 4 remakes to take too much from LG. I think LG is really neat as a one-of-a-kind project but hope GameFreak won't use the LG template for future remakes.
But overall, good job GF.

Also, S/M being Nintendo's best opening ever is cool.

I think it's realistic to predict that Let's Go will outperform all previous remakes in revenue, considering the higher price tag and popular accessory bundle. So yeah, might want to start bracing for Let's Go Johto, and maybe eventually even Let's Go Sinnoh. I don't think this will be a one-off.

hussien-11 · Nov 18, 2018

OfficerRaichu15 said:
function scrollToId(selector, offset = 60) { window.scroll(0, document.querySelector(selector).offsetTop - offset); return false } It had stock issues and probably had a top 3 franchise debut with digital?

Joseki said:
The Pokémon Company was very cautios with Let's Go from day 1, the fact that they announced gen 8 for next year in the same day is pretty telling. I don't think they were sure it was gonna be a 15+ million selles like classic entries.

This is why i used "hoping" not expecting. you don't make big changes like this because you want the same results, especially with the GO branding and the hardware expectations. though it will still sell well enough and it will do its job helping the Switch hardware to maintain its momentum.

Zippo · Nov 18, 2018

Seems fine to me.

Kouriozan · Nov 18, 2018

I'm actually surprised it didn't do worse considering the current Switch userbase.

Uncle at Nintendo · Nov 18, 2018

Incineroar can't stop winning. The people want Incineroar.

ThisIsBlitz21 · Nov 18, 2018

Parshias said:
For actual context:

X/Y's lifetime sales as of Sep. 30, 2018 are 16.34 million units.

Sun/Moon's lifetimes sales as of Sep. 30, 2018 are 16.13 million units.

Sun and Moon had a bigger launch than X/Y because it was the third mainline Pokemon game on the 3DS which meant that the Pokemon audience (and the overall install base) had been built up for years for it to perform like it did right out of the gate. X/Y and Let's Go are the first mainline Pokemon titles on their respective systems and therefore have to build up that audience on their own.

If Let's Go ends up selling at pace with X/Y for its lifetime it will be the best selling Pokemon remake in series history.

If that were true black/white would've outsold diamond/pearl. Traditionally the earlier pokemon games sell more than the later ones.

Sun/Moon had the pokemon go boost that pushed it significantly further than x/y.

The only reason its not ahead of x/y is because when ultra sun came out, they stopped shipping normal sun/moon altogether.

Kittens McMittens · Nov 18, 2018

Remember that UK results are pretty much always off from other regions, because we've moved to digital pretty substantially over here. A huge chunk of people who buy new releases at launch do it digitally, because quite often the prices are the same as in physical stores. The biggest example in these numbers is Fallout 76, which as an online game has an even greater incentive to purchase digital first.

So, I reckon these numbers significantly under estimate the total sales here in the UK for pretty much all titles.

Calamari41 · Nov 18, 2018

Braaier said:
I can't think of any other game that received as much negative coverage prior to release and then turned out to be really good. I haven't paid that close of attention to the game but I'm curious if some of the vocal haters have changed their tune. Still seeing a ton of negative remarks in these threads, but it's from the usual suspects

The most vocal haters will probably never play the game, so they'll never get to see how overblown their meltdowns have been.

cw_sasuke · Nov 18, 2018

Big One said:
Those games have more legs though with mythical and event Pokemon and their large robust communities. As soon as Gen 8 comes out it's going to make Let's Go irrelevant since it's unlikely Gamefreak will pour their resources into post-launch support for Let's Go. Itll still be a solid entry level game but that's as far as its legs will stretch

Let's Go will still be the to go game for the more casual audience - even after Gen 8 launches.

crazillo · Nov 18, 2018

This might be the most misleading statistical piece of information of the year if phrased without context (install base, Pokémon Go in 2016, rise of digital sales on Switch).

DukeBlue · Nov 18, 2018

Lelouch0612 said:
It topped Odyssey and became the Swicth game with the biggest opening in the UK :

Pokemon Let's Go Pikachu/Eevee - 120 000
Super Mario Odyssey - ~85 000

Pokemon Ultra Sun/Moon - 76 000

Why isn't this the thread title? Instead of focusing on a game that was on a different hardware with 4x the install base

The Last One · Nov 18, 2018

If the game did 116K physical then it may have already sold more than 150K including digital.

LordOcidax · Nov 18, 2018

120K in UK at full price.... damn.. Japan is numbers are going to be insane.

Lelouch0612 · Nov 18, 2018

crazillo said:
This might be the most misleading statistical piece of information of the year if phrased without context (install base, Pokémon Go in 2016, rise of digital sales on Switch).

Yes, it even misled a lot of people already in the thread.

Can a mod change the title ? or even ZhugeEX ?

Deleted member 31092 · Nov 18, 2018

Uncle at Nintendo said:
Incineroar can't stop winning. The people want Incineroar.

People want their crazy and hot waifu

Deleted member 10737 · Nov 18, 2018

DukeBlue said:
Why isn't this the thread title? Instead of focusing on a game that was on a different hardware with 4x the install base

if the thread title was positive it would probably still be on page 2 :)

zuf · Nov 18, 2018

IIFloodyII said:
Is it a negative spin or them just not sugar coating it? Because I'm not seeing what's being spinned negatively.

These UK threads need a bit of sugar coating! Perpetual doom and gloom. Maybe include the upsides and downsides in the title to generate a better discussion.

BringBackSonics · Nov 18, 2018

I wonder how much impact the missing stock for the pre orders will have on those numbers

KayonXaikyre · Nov 18, 2018

Honestly this sounds good right? I looked at the rest of the list and I'm more surprised it did as well as it did. This title makes it sound like it did bad or something.

Parshias · Nov 18, 2018

ThisIsBlitz21 said:
If that were true black/white would've outsold diamond/pearl. Traditionally the earlier pokemon games sell more than the later ones.

Sun/Moon had the pokemon go boost that pushed it significantly further than x/y.

The only reason its not ahead of x/y is because when ultra sun came out, they stopped shipping normal sun/moon altogether.

But Black and White did sell more than Diamond and Pearl... at launch. Which is what we're talking about here.

I wrote that post to address people who think that Let's Go having worse launch sales than S/M means it did poorly. A Pokemon remake having launch sales in line with a system-first new generation title is a really good result.

And to add a bit of further context: global shipments of 3DS hardware were at nearly 35 million units in the quarter ending just before X/Y's release. So that would mean that Let's Go is earning these sales on a smaller install base.

Deleted member 2791 · Nov 18, 2018

thread title has been updated which is much better

Prine · Nov 18, 2018

XDevil666 said:
It's a great start, but honestly I wish we were in a position where we could see digital numbers and world wide totals.

UK physical copy numbers really doesn't mean much anymore

Perhaps Zhuge can correct me, but id assume Switch users buying digital Vs PS4/Xbox most likely are much smaller. Do we have any numbers? So physical sales are much closer representation for Switch then it is for the other consoles.

ZhugeEX · Nov 18, 2018

Lelouch0612 said:
Yes, it even misled a lot of people already in the thread.

Can a mod change the title ? or even ZhugeEX ?

Updated the title.

SinCityAssassin · Nov 18, 2018

KayonXaikyre said:
Honestly this sounds good right? I looked at the rest of the list and I'm more surprised it did as well as it did. This title makes it sound like it did bad or something.

It's good because sun and moon did more than double any release in the UK for the past decade up to that point. So this being more in line with a core game despite not being marketed as one is a good result.

MrNewVegas · Nov 18, 2018

Firestorm said:
I was super confused as to how Sun/Moon sold that much more than X/Y until I remembered it was right after Pokémon GO.

Pokémon Go players will stay with Go they wouldn't buy an 3DS and a Pokémon game...

/s

Raijinto · Nov 18, 2018

ZhugeEX said:
Updated the title.

Merci beaucoup.

Can I also ask if you know how well the Pokeball plus sold both separately and through bundles? It is not mentioned at all in the article.

AnonymousApple · Nov 18, 2018

That title is much better.

Anyway, I haven't yet bought this game but I plan to eventually (it'll be my first Pokemon game). Glad to see its' sold well.

Deleted member 10737 · Nov 18, 2018

LordKano said:
thread title has been updated which is much better

lol, now watch the thread slow down considerably

Lelouch0612 · Nov 18, 2018

So even by lowballing the digital ratios (5% digital ratio on 3DS, 10% on Switch). I have Let's Go outselling X/Y. The franchise is in a very good place right now.

ZhugeEX said:
Updated the title.

Thanks ;)

Opposable · Nov 18, 2018

From what I remember X/Y had a weird, staggered launch in the UK as a couple of shop chains began selling it way before release. Nintendo was annoyed.

BringBackSonics · Nov 18, 2018

mazi said:
so what's happening is people are reading the to first part of the thread title ("UK: Pokemon Let's Go sales down..."), ignoring absolutely all context, and posting their opinion on what they assume is bad performance.

I think they had their responses for 'Pokémon Let's Go: What Went Wrong' thread ready to go

pokéfan · Nov 18, 2018

SinCItyAssassin said:
It's good because sun and moon did more than double any release in the UK for the past decade up to that point. So this being more in line with a core game despite not being marketed as one is a good result.

Also the fact Sun and Moon broke the records for the highest ever software opening release for any Nintendo console.

In normal circumstances Let's Go has had an incredible opening.

IIFloodyII · Nov 18, 2018

LordKano said:
Leaving out of the OP the fact that it's the biggest Switch launch by far and that Sun/Moon had an abnormally high launch compared to what Pokémon usually sells is textbook definition of a negative spin, especially when all of that info is written in the article. Thread title is bad.

I agree with this title being bad, it's more negative than needs be, I also agree with the OP could do with more context, like another reply said. I disagree that these PAL threads are just negative spins though, sometimes it's just not all positive.
Pokemon Let's Go Is a good launch, but I also disagree that they shouldn't be compared to the last 2.

zuf said:
These UK threads need a bit of sugar coating! Perpetual doom and gloom. Maybe include the upsides and downsides in the title to generate a better discussion.

Fair enough I guess, but there is more positive takes, people just don't pay them as much attention.

V0ltg · Nov 18, 2018

CaviarMeths said:
I think it's realistic to predict that Let's Go will outperform all previous remakes in revenue, considering the higher price tag and popular accessory bundle. So yeah, might want to start bracing for Let's Go Johto, and maybe eventually even Let's Go Sinnoh. I don't think this will be a one-off.

Sales figures obviously play an almost as important role in GF's eyes, specially in the context of LP: Like obviously LG has the benefit of being higher priced and thus generating more revenue for each sold copy than other remakes, but if the sales numbers are below (or "just" on par) other remakes than I don't think GF would be 100% happy, specially considering the fact that GF's main goal with LP is to bring new people to the franchise.
But looking at the known numbers, I wouldn't surprise me if LP will do as good as ORAS in terms of sales figures. Which makes me both happy and a liiiiiiittle bit anxious.

fluffydelusions · Nov 18, 2018

That title is bait

LordOcidax · Nov 18, 2018

Any info about digital sales? That could be a really big factor here. Any info about another big launch in UK... digital % split.

Raijinto · Nov 18, 2018

Opposable said:
From what I remember X/Y had a weird, staggered launch in the UK as a couple of shop chains began selling it way before release. Nintendo was annoyed.

Yes, later Pokemon 3DS games rather conspicuously released a week later in the UK than everywhere else after X/Y. I'm not sure how much of a factor that is but yeah it was a thing that is worth mentioning.

Dekuman · Nov 18, 2018

Is anything up at UK retail?

DekuBleep · Nov 18, 2018

These do not include digital right?

I bought Pikachu digital.

As someone who buys all their games digitally now, I feel like all these comparisons miss because Nintendo doesn't report digital sales which are a huge percentage these days.

mugurumakensei · Nov 18, 2018

tolkir said:

GOAT right there.

Lelouch0612 · Nov 18, 2018

Dekuman said:
Is anything up at UK retail?

RDR2, Smash soon.

Garlador · Nov 18, 2018

tolkir said:

Nuclear Muffin · Nov 18, 2018

Parshias said:
For actual context:

X/Y's lifetime sales as of Sep. 30, 2018 are 16.34 million units.

Sun/Moon's lifetimes sales as of Sep. 30, 2018 are 16.13 million units.

Sun and Moon had a bigger launch than X/Y because it was the third mainline Pokemon game on the 3DS which meant that the Pokemon audience (and the overall install base) had been built up for years for it to perform like it did right out of the gate. X/Y and Let's Go are the first mainline Pokemon titles on their respective systems and therefore have to build up that audience on their own.

If Let's Go ends up selling at pace with X/Y for its lifetime it will be the best selling Pokemon remake in series history.

X/Y was on track to end up being the worst selling mainline game by far until it was revived by Pokemon Go's launch. That revival won't happen again for obvious reasons. It also won't get the ongoing support that X/Y got with the introduction of new mythical Pokemon, tournaments and such.

If it ends up selling at pace with X/Y, it will sell more like Fire Red/Leaf Green; but I'd be very surprised if it even manages that.

Oniletter · Nov 18, 2018

RochHoch said:
Music to my ears

Pathetic. But sadly par of the course for you.

What happened to reigning in your nastiness after I called you out in that " toxic let's go discussion" thread and you pretended to be offended because you were "behaving nicely" anyway?

MONSTER · Nov 18, 2018

Wow at the success this new Pokemon game is having

Talent really won

IIFloodyII · Nov 18, 2018

Dekuman said:
Is anything up at UK retail?

Yes. RDR2, GoW, MH: World and FH4 had a pretty decent increase from the last entry of the top of my head. I think more of the smaller series had increases than not too. Was more the bigger stuff like CoD, FIFA and now Fallout that had big drops. Only FIFA is a surprise out of them imo.

Chackan · Nov 18, 2018

Braaier said:
I can't think of any other game that received as much negative coverage prior to release and then turned out to be really good. I haven't paid that close of attention to the game but I'm curious if some of the vocal haters have changed their tune. Still seeing a ton of negative remarks in these threads, but it's from the usual suspects

I have the game, and I'm loving it. But I was hyped from the beggining.

As far as I know, the rational haters, not all of course, are very please with how the game turned out to be afterall

Pekola · Nov 18, 2018

MONSTER said:
Wow at the success this new Pokemon game is having

Talent really won

"You know what we are? We're F*CKING SALES DESTROYERS. SALES F*CKING DESTROYERS"

MONSTER · Nov 18, 2018

Pekola said:
"You know what we are? We're F*CKING SALES DESTROYERS. SALES F*CKING DESTROYERS"

Oooop now that's the TEA

UK Retail: Pokemon Let's Go - Biggest opening on Switch (Down 60% compared to S/M, 5% less than X/Y)

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