I'd expect it to do better than that actually. Usually shipments are 25% for Japan and considering it looks like Pokemon did a lot better overseas compared to Japan.. I'd say it's likely more hardware was also sold outside of Japan.

800k or more is not out of the question here. Probably a really really good week for the Switch.

Yeah shortly after posting I did some checking to see what share of global sales Japan typically represents and realized I'd probably lowballed it, but I don't want to set my expectations too high and be disappointed.

They are not definitely great numbers for Pokemon game but they are good enough in any case. Remember, this lowest install base than any Pokemon game was launched on (if I saw correctly 14% of all Switch owners in Japan bought game on launch), has highest price point for any Pokemon game, and definitely has highest digital sales for any Pokemon games (that are not tracked).

Also, insaiders from Japan told that only 2-3 weeks before launch game was completely dead and only than things start heating up, also that game has great word of mouth and that game should continue with very strong sales.

According to the Pokemon Company, it sold 3'000'000 units WW which is very good IMO.

Japan sales are quite disappointing for me too but sales in North America must have been huge...

Can't wait for harware numbers this week!

Source: https://gematsu.com/2018/11/pokemon-lets-go-pikachu-and-lets-go-eevee-first-week-sales-top-three-million

I dont get into the third party talk so ill just snippet that part out... Lol

As for pokemon! Well we got numbers for WW and its 3mil which is actually very good when in comparison to xy amd oras WW. Lets go doing much less in Japan means it did very well in the west even alot more than ORAS (same sales WW fw but japan it debuted over 1mil+)

For Japan are they good or bad numbers? Overall they are ok. Depending on your interpretation and expectations for the game its either way. When comparing it to any other pokemon game it looks bad on the surface but when you take into account what the game is (a remake of a third version) it's not too shabby.

My opinion is its not World breaking news like SMO and Zelda were (or splat2) but from all the hate, the way Gamefreak outstrip the game from many feats/etc its definelty good. Giving the fact price of it (you have to include the sku of the pokeball which os about half the sales) you have probably one of the mpst profitable pokemon games. Even if its the forst HD mainlines (ish) game, the game obviously was more of a budget release when you dive into it.

Opinions are all over the place but at the end its fw sales only. The game surprisingly to me at least has great WoM compared to all the pther previous entries. Itll end up selling probably over 1.5mil in japan by years end (at least 1.2mil) and WW shipments will be easily over 8mil (closer to 10mil).  Itll be the most profitable pokemon game in the last 10years in its first month maybe putside of sunmoon) so its a huge WIN overall :)

One of the few yes. It's a spinoff game on a smaller installbase. It will have great legs though.

As for the other highlighted.. Xbox has bad JP support, but theres a whole other reason for that. Also, Asia is Asia. I am talking about the JP market only, and the future as this goes on. Fewer and far inbetween as it goes on, cause I think costs and dev time keep rising and the audience won't be there as much as before.

Maybe it's just me, but I've been under the impression that Go was a bigger craze in the West than in japan and also lifted western Pokemon sales siginficantly more, at the launch of Sun and Moon. I seem to recall specifically people saying that Pokemon already had petty much maximum market reach in japan and didn't have much growth potential, compared to the west. That's why Go, while still a hit, wasn't the phenomenon it was in the west and also didin't lift core-title sales much.

Japan already loves and buys core pokemon titles, they didin't need a more casual experience to be roped back by nostalgia.

Now the WW numbers seemingly confirm that theory. The Let's Go games seemingly managed to covert some Go players to the console, with them achieving solid sales despite part of the hardcore fans skipping over it. The sales also overwhelmingly came from the west, where the bigger Go audience seems to be.

Despite all that I think the game will have good legs. It has great word of mouth with even hardened fans of the series appreaciating it for what it is and does and bein pleasantly surprised.

We cannot use the install base as an argument because if this is a next gen pokemon it will sell regardless of the install base. Switch is available and the demand is enough for the game. Splatoon 2 managed to sell 600k plus with a limited install base and was plagued with sell outs of the system so I don't see how an install base of 5 million is not enough for the game? As per checking the shipments it's around 1-1.2m so I am not sure how relevant the install base on your arguments.

This is Pokemon. You are underestimating the selling power of Pokemon merchandise. A $60 won't stop me and other Pokemon fans in buying it.  But you have point because this one has a bad rep and Ninty announcing a new Pokemon didn't help either.

But still as you have said it's not spectacular so I don't see how some find it great sales?

Yes and that's good to hear. Legs is what really is important here. It great outside Japan.

 at bold Then you are agreeing that it didn't do great but underwhelming  sales in Japan then?😉 

I never said it's bad. It's just underwhelming. Pokemon is one of the big games in Japan. Let's Go still has the mechanics from Core game, doesn't it? Profit is not even up for a debate because with Japan alone I think it already made a decent profit with it's shipments and as I have mentioned the leg of this game is really important

Most profitable is up for a debate because I can argue that USUM has better profit margin because it's practically the same assets and they don't need to do a lot of effort to make it. While let's go is for a new system and they have to incorporate the switch's controller functionality for it aswell. It's definitely a quick cash grab but we don't know  the production value for it. It could be the most profitable but we don't have major evidence that it is.

And we get games from Japan so why 3rd party will suddenly choose Switch over PS4 when they can just make it multiplat? 

Dev cost? Maybe you haven't played Yakuza games and a lot of BandaiNamco's anime games have you? and have you seen the charts lately? Even with Switch around it's not setting the games on fire? Do you think Falcom will suddenly stop making games for PS4? Sega with their Yakuza games? BandaiNamco with their games? NIs, KT, Compile Hearts? Why make it exclusive instead of making it multi plat? Making a lot of Japanese games Switch exclusive is just wishful thinking. 

And Do you think Sony will let that happen? 3rd parties is Sony's bread and butter. They even provide the phyre engine before to help small devs to create games form their platform. What's stopping them in creating providing the same? Especially with new gen coming they will need games for their system and they  will get help from indies and  small devs because it's a lot cheaper to bolster their line up along with their first party.

A question, can you name me these games you are speaking of because I am really curious on what games are you speaking of? and can you also name this publishers aswell?

I don't think that's the main reason. It's still play like a core game but they just removed the random battle. I still believe that it sold to a Pokemon fan and the new kids because it always have been targeted for Pokemon fans and kids. I am a pokemon fan and I always buy their handheld for Pokemon I am just waiting for my Switch and Let's go eevee. 

We cannot use the install base as an argument because if this is a next gen pokemon it will sell regardless of the install base. Switch is available and the demand is enough for the game. Splatoon 2 managed to sell 600k plus with a limited install base and was plagued with sell outs of the system so I don't see how an install base of 5 million is not enough for the game? As per checking the shipments it's around 1-1.2m so I am not sure how relevant the install base on your arguments.

This is Pokemon. You are underestimating the selling power of Pokemon merchandise. A $60 won't stop me and other Pokemon fans in buying it.  But you have point because this one has a bad rep and Ninty announcing a new Pokemon didn't help either.

But still as you have said it's not spectacular so I don't see how some find it great sales?

And we get games from Japan so why 3rd party will suddenly choose Switch over PS4 when they can just make it multiplat? 

Dev cost? Maybe you haven't played Yakuza games and a lot of BandaiNamco's anime games have you? and have you seen the charts lately? Even with Switch around it's not setting the games on fire? Do you think Falcom will suddenly stop making games for PS4? Sega with their Yakuza games? BandaiNamco with their games? NIs, KT, Compile Hearts? Why make it exclusive instead of making it multi plat? Making a lot of Japanese games Switch exclusive is just wishful thinking. 

And Do you think Sony will let that happen? 3rd parties is Sony's bread and butter. They even provide the phyre engine before to help small devs to create games form their platform. What's stopping them in creating providing the same? Especially with new gen coming they will need games for their system and they  will get help from indies and  small devs because it's a lot cheaper to bolster their line up along with their first party.

A question, can you name me these games you are speaking of because I am really curious on what games are you speaking of? and can you also name this publishers aswell?

Oh, that would be bad. I like traditional MonHun.

Hmmmm yes it did underwelm in japan. Maybe when the game was getting closer and closer to release it seemed like many thought the game wouldnt even do that well so the figure we got didnt look so bad?

This is like the first huge game people actually didn't expect good sales from. Hence why the numbers look ok-ish lmao

Of Course we can, if Switch had higher install base more Pokemon would be sold, simple as that, and Switch had lower install base ever on which some Pokemon game is launched, despite that around 13-14% (with digital sales) of all Switch user bought game in first 3 days of sales, that percent is higher than for same previous games. Also this is not brand new game but it is remake of Kanto. Splatoon 2 did sell 600k with lower install base, but point is that even Splatoon 2 would be sell more if install base was bigger in time when Splatoon 2 was launched.

I gave you clearly differences compared to previous Pokemon games that more or less definitely had effect on this Pokemon sales. Maybe you wouldn't, but for some people higher price point in combination of point that its not core Pokemon game definitely effect that some people didn't bought it on launch.

Probably they look sales just through install base, point that around 13-14% (with digital sales) of all Switch owners bough game in its first 3 days of sales is good result. In terms of the attach rate:

• Pokemon Let's Go sold 664,198 copies (12% of Switch owners)
• 2017’s Ultra Sun/Moon sold 1.2m copies (5% of 3DS owners)
• 2016’s Sun/Moon sold 1.9m copies (8.6% of 3DS owners)
• 2014’s Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire sold 1.5m copies (9.2% of 3DS owners)
• 2013’s X/Y sold 2.1m copies (16% of 3DS owners)

What's not traditional about MHW?

The original rumors that said PS4 will get an MH game, also said that Switch will get a new MH game.