Pokémon Sun & Moon launch breaks global records

Well if it wasn’t payday for Pokémon-themed products after the launch of Niantic title Pokémon GO, it certainly is now for Pokémon Sun & Moon.  The Pokémon Company International and Nintendo have announced that over 10 million units of the Nintendo 3DS/2DS dual titles were sold globally at launch, a 150% increase over Pokémon X and Y.

Avid fans around the world queued for hours to pick up their pre-order releases and many retailers held special midnight launch parties to bring in the next instalment of the Pokémon game series, set in the Hawaiian-inspired Alola region.

The largest Australian video game launch event ever was held in Federation Square here in Melbourne for Pokémon Sun & Moon, hosted by retailer EB Games.  Our very own Rachel Humphreys was there amongst the 3000+ fans in attendance to get her hands on one of the first copies.

“It was truly a Pokéfest for fans of Pokémon” said Rachel. “With so many fans in attendance on the night there was no shortage of Pokémon cosplay,  conversation and even lures going off at Federation Square for those still playing Pokémon GO. There were competitions and an assortment of fun activities filling the 9pm-12am window, which can be seen in my short video below for those that missed the event”.

Faulty tram lines (and midweek train schedules finishing just after midnight) did little to keep the crowds away, with the Melbourne event starting at 9pm on Thursday 17th of November with a live DJ and competitions keeping fans busy until the midnight launch countdown.

For those who have yet to purchase Pokémon Sun or Moon, it is not too late to be part of the launch excitement.  Those who purchase one of the games by January 11 2017 will receive a Munchlax who is holding Snorlium Z, a special item that enables the evolved Snorlax to perform my favourite Z-Move: Pulverizing Pancake!

Check out the announcement trailer below, and stick with Checkpoint for all the latest Pokémon news.