'Pokemon' Franchise Reaches Game Sales Milestone
The Pokemon brand has unlocked another milestone.
With the recent release of "Pokemon Ultra Sun" and "Pokemon Ultra Moon" on the Nintendo 3DS console, the franchise surpassed the 300 million mark in units sold globally, The Pokemon Company announced Monday. The sales count the units sold coming from 76 different games carrying the Pokemon title, which started way back in 1996.
Gamespot noted that the first Pokemon titles released two decades ago were "Pokemon Red" and "Pokemon Green." The long-running series, however, still trails the "Sonic the Hedgehog" franchise that boasts of over 350 million units sold, the report added.
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A Famitsu report clarified, however, that the 300 million units sold by the "Pokemon" franchise only covers the actual physical sales. This means that downloads of titles like the hit mobile game "Pokemon GO" and the downloads from the 3DS Virtual Console are not included.
Meanwhile, GameRant projected that the "Pokemon" franchise will likely tread the same path taken by timeless and iconic series like "Super Mario" and "The Legend of Zelda." The report noted that the games released by the franchise in different platforms continue to draw a huge following among fans, especially now that nostalgia has been fueling the clamor for "Pokemon" games among players who grew up when the brand was just starting.
In other related news, "Pokemon GO" developer Niantic Labs confirmed last Friday that it has raised $200 million in Series B capital. This was led by different groups that included Spark Capital, Founders Fund, Meritech, Javelin, You & Mr. Jones and NetEase, reported the Wall Street Journal.
"This round enables new strategic opportunities and enhances our ability to make long-term investments in augmented reality and the Niantic real-world platform," explained Niantic CEO John Hanke in a statement to CNet.
Niantic's announcement came on the heels of the confirmation of a "Harry Potter" AR game titled "Harry Potter: Wizards Unite," which the company is currently developing. The $200 million raised was roughly seven times more than what Niantic generated for "Pokemon GO" at $30 million.
