"Pokemon" fever is on a definite high with the newest titles "Pokemon Sun" and "Pokemon Moon" breaking the record for fastest-selling Nintendo games of all time. This distinction was earlier given to previous Nintendo games "Pokemon X" and "Pokemon Y." Long before their release, "Pokemon Sun" and "Pokemon Moon" were also notable as the most pre-ordered video games in the entire history of Nintendo game-making.
The popularity of these games brought in a combined total of 3.7 million units sold in the Americas alone, according to Nintendo, which is a significant 85 percent rise from that of "Pokemon X" and "Pokemon Y" in 2013. Considering that "Pokemon Sun" and "Pokemon Moon" only launched in Nov. 18, there remains no doubt in minds of "Pokemon" aficionados that these titles are a big success.
The Sales and Marketing Senior Vice President of the Nintendo of Americas Doug Bowser pointed out that Nintendo's "Pokemon Sun" and "Pokemon Moon" have a positive appeal to "any player in the family." He said, "With these huge sales figures, Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon have proved themselves as two of the hottest video games to buy this holiday season."
In Europe, too, these new releases from Nintendo are the fastest-selling titles in the series. "Pokemon Sun" and "Pokemon Moon" sales reached 1.5 million units in their first week on the market, with 368,000 of those coming mainly from the United Kingdom.
In Japan, the titles also performed well in the market, although the figures were slightly less than those of "Pokemon X" and "Pokemon Y" in 2013. "Pokemon Sun" and "Pokemon Moon" sales reached 1.9 million units to the earlier X and Y titles' 1.8 million (on their first two days, reaching 2.3 million in nine days) in the video game market. This makes the newest Nintendo "Pokemon" titles the second best-selling games in Japan, following closely behind their preceding iterations.
While the "Pokemon Go" which launched in July brought millions of people---45 million daily to be exact at peak usage---together out into the world, "Pokemon Sun" and "Pokemon Moon" offer a refreshing change of scenery. The games are set in Alola, which is a group of islands with a Hawaiian feel to them. Players set out to explore the four islands in various quests such as finding an exotic plant in a jungle, or come face to face with a totem pokemon.
This great reception to the Nintendo "Pokemon Sun" and "Pokemon Moon" titles may forecast good tidings for the rumored upcoming title "Pokemon Stars." This next iteration to the Nintendo "Pokemon" game series is said to come out on the "Nintendo Switch" console which is expected to launch within the first quarter of 2017.