Poco a poco may mean “little by little,” but the sales growth for Pokémon Pokopia — supposedly inspired by the musical term — indicates otherwise. The cosy spin-off has sold more than 2.2 million units worldwide in four days since its launch, with an official announcement stating that one million copies came from Japan.
This milestone comes after it became the highest-rated entry in the sprawling franchise on Metacritic with a score of 89 at the time of writing, making it also the fastest-selling offshoot in recent years. It’s an impressive start for the title, especially as a Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive, and it seems to be on track to meet, or even surpass, Pokémon Legends: Z-A, which has sold 3.89 million units on the console (and 5.8 million in total) to date.
In terms of other Switch 2 exclusives with over one million sales, Kirby Air Riders sits at 1.76 million units, followed by Donkey Kong Bananza (4.25 million) and Mario Kart World (14 million). It remains to be seen how Pokémon Pokopia will stack against fellow genre juggernaut Animal Crossing: New Horizons, now with more than 47 million copies to its name, but the game’s lively charm has captured the hearts of many fans and spawned countless memes.
Marking a departure from the turn-based combat tradition, the title co-developed by Koei Tecmo, Game Freak, and The Pokémon Company is a building and town simulator that puts players into the role of a human-form Ditto, as they befriend new critters and use their abilities to rebuild a desolate island, while collecting resources for crafting, growing crops, building furniture, and creating homes for various companions along the way.
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
