For over 20 yearsPokemonfans have been asking for a newPokemon Snap. The original game is a cult favorite, tasking players with “capturing"Pokemonin a new way – by taking their pictures. Nintendo and The Pokemon Company, partnering with Bandai Namco, have now delivered aNew Pokemon Snap. It’s the sequel that fans have wanted since 1999. And now, a month after launch, those fans now have the sales data forNew Pokemon Snapto show that they were right all along.
The latest NPD report on sales data for the United States has been issued, revealing some interesting achievements forNew Pokemon Snap. Overall,New Pokemon Snapclimbed up to the third position on the April sales chart.New Pokemon Snapnotably launched on April 30, so its position on the chart is entirely attributed to pre-orders and day one launch sales. The top-selling game of April wasMLB: The Show 21, withCall of Duty: Black Ops Cold Warnext in the rankings.
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Another fun achievement isNew Pokemon Snap’s launch sales in comparison to the original game’s July 1999 sales.New Pokemon Snapreportedly managed to not only outsell the original game, but to outsell it by twice the amount.Pokemon Snapgrew to become the sixth-most popular game of 1999 in the United States, in part due to a promotion withBlockbusterthat made it an extremely popular rental. It’s probably safe to assumeNew Pokemon Snapwon’t compete for that.
What’s perhaps the more important statistic to Nintendo is that the Switch console was the best-selling hardware platform for April, as measured in both units and dollars. Further, the Switch remains the best-selling hardware platform for 2021 through April.New Pokemon Snaphas helped Nintendo maintain momentum even without a major platform exclusive this year like aZelda,Metroid, or main seriesPokemongame.
It remains to be seen ifNew Pokemon Snap’s success will probe enough for Nintendo to see it as a series deserving of frequent sequels. While fans would love to see a newPokemon Snapgame every few years, the games are likely to be seen asevergreen likeMario Kartand so iterations aren’t a priority. Still, Nintendo hopefully won’t make fans wait 20 years again.
The success ofNew Pokemon Snapwas likely buoyed by growing excitement forPokemonin general. Nintendo and The Pokemon Company will be launching the remakes ofPokemon DiamondandPearlin late 2021and then a new type ofPokemongame inPokemon Arceusin early 2022.
