Pokémon: Let’s Go sales pass 1.5 million units in the United States

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Some games sell on the brand, and some sell because they nailed the invitation: Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Let’s Go, Eevee! did both. On the wave of Black Friday 2018, Nintendo celebrated that the pair had passed 1.5 million units sold in the United States in just ten days since the November 16 launch.

The numbers added to what The Pokémon Company had already announced: more than 3 million units worldwide in the first week. Quite a result for games that tweaked the established formula of the series on Nintendo’s handhelds.

A return to Kanto with a new look

Let’s Go is a reimagining of Pokémon Yellow, from 1998, set in Kanto with the 151 original Pokémon. What stands out is the change in catching: instead of the traditional battles against wild Pokémon, the player uses a Poké Ball throwing system inspired by Pokémon GO, the mobile hit. The bridge with GO goes further: you can transfer first-generation Pokémon, including Alolan forms, from the phone to the Switch, in the space called GO Park, and the mythical Meltan also traveled between the two games.

A nice detail: the games work with the Poké Ball Plus, an optional controller shaped like a Poké Ball, with an analog stick, motion control, HD rumble and lights. You can see the care in turning the simple gesture of throwing a Poké Ball into something physical and fun, also designed for those arriving at the series through GO.

What came next

Critics approved, with scores of 79 and 80 on Metacritic for the Pikachu and Eevee versions. And sales stayed strong: by September 30, 2023, the two games totaled 15.07 million copies worldwide, paving the way for Pokémon Sword and Shield, which arrived on the Switch the following year.

Source: GamingBolt / Nintendo.