'Stealth' Pokemon hit boosts Nintendo Switch 2 momentum sentiment

Nintendo’s new game Pokemon Pokopia sells over 2.2 million copies in just four days, becoming a “stealth hit” that boosts Switch 2 adoption despite market concerns over hardware momentum.

Sam Nussey/Reuters

March 12, 2026

'Stealth' Pokemon hit boosts Nintendo Switch 2 momentum sentiment

FILE PHOTO: A person holds a Nintendo Switch 2 game console's box as Nintendo starts selling the new consoles globally, at an electronics store in Tokyo, Japan, June 5, 2025.

Issei Kato/Reuters

Nintendo 7974.T said on Thursday it has sold more than 2.2 million copies of "Pokemon Pokopia" in the four days since launch as the game's popularity helps offset fear about Switch 2 sales momentum.

Industry observers have fretted that the Switch 2 lacks high-profile games to drive sales, with spiking prices for memory chips also driving market concern about impact on profit margins.

The new life simulation game, a spin-off from the mainline Pokemon series, has been widely praised and has a metascore of 89 on review aggregator Metacritic.

The game is a "stealth hit", Jefferies analyst Atul Goyal wrote in a client note.

"Pokopia serves as a critical software catalyst, accelerating adoption for the ... (Switch 2) hardware install base by capturing the lucrative non-gamer demographic," he wrote.

Nintendo previously attracted a wide range of consumers with island life simulator "Animal Crossing: New Horizons", which become an escapist hit during the COVID-19 pandemic.

-Sam Nussey/Reuters