Nintendo announced today that it has shipped 10 million copies of Pokémon Sun and Moon for the 3DS, the newest installments in the company’s hit monster-collecting and fighting series.
This is a new record for the portable system — according to Nintendo — and represents a 150 percent increase over the previous entries, Pokémon X and Y. Before today’s release of Sun and Moon, the series has sold over 279 million copies worldwide. Shipped games don’t necessarily mean units sold, but it’s still a metric for a game’s success. Nintendo clearly feels confident that it can move a lot Sun and Moon copies, and this doesn’t even take digital sales into consideration.
Pokémon’s popularity reached new heights this year thanks to the Pokémon Go phenomenon on mobile during the summer. While that app’s popularity has fallen a little, it’s still a big hit. Its success is clearly translating into interest for Sun and Moon and Nintendo has even highlighted that effect during conference calls with investors and analysts.
Our impressions of Sun and Moon praise the game’s Polynesian setting and changes to the franchise’s formula. We also have some tips for those of you starting your new Pokémon adventures.