Shares of Nintendo moved higher on Thursday after the latest title in its blockbuster Pokémon franchise recorded more than two million sales within its first week of release.
Nintendo’s stock rose as much as 2.2% to 10,180 yen, marking its highest level in over a month. Although the shares later trimmed part of those gains, they still outperformed the broader Nikkei 225, which was down around 2.1% during the session.
Pokémon Pokopia posts strong launch sales
In an official statement, Nintendo confirmed that Pokémon Pokopia sold more than 2.2 million copies within the first four days following its release on March 5.
The game quickly climbed to the top of digital sales rankings in both the United States and the United Kingdom. Retailers in the U.S. also reported shortages of physical copies, highlighting strong demand from players shortly after launch.
Analysts at Jefferies described the title as a “stealth hit.” Early expectations for Pokopia had been relatively modest because the game moves away from the traditional battle and role-playing gameplay that defines many mainline Pokémon titles.
Key release for the Switch 2 console
The strong debut of Pokémon Pokopia is particularly important for Nintendo because the game is one of the most prominent releases for the Nintendo Switch 2 console.
Robust sales could help ease investor concerns about slowing momentum for the console following its highly successful launch in 2025. A strong pipeline of popular game titles is considered essential for maintaining demand and extending the lifecycle of Nintendo’s latest hardware platform.
