It says a lot about the power of Pokémon as a franchise when its preorder numbers are only rivaled by a multiplatform juggernaut like Call of Duty. Word on the street is that Pokémon Sword and Shield saw the second highest number of preorders at video game retailer GameStop, trailing only behind the upcoming Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. GameStop put out the following list of all of its preorders in terms of ranking following E3 2019:
- Call of Duty Modern Warfare
- Pokemon Sword/Shield
- Final Fantasy VII Remake
- Cyberpunk 2077
- Borderlands 3
- Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening (Switch)
- Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order
- Gears 5
- Super Mario Maker 2
- Crash Team Racing: Nitro-Fueled
It’s an impressive showing for the venerable franchise. Note that other Nintendo titles are in this top ten, as well: The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening and Super Mario Maker 2, to be exact. The former had a very strong showing at E3 this year, while Super Mario Maker 2 has garnered a lot of excitement from fans and media outlets, alike. It’s good news for the brick and mortar retailer in a time where digital competition keeps becoming more and more prevalent.
“Videogames [sic] are in our DNA and as top retailer in gaming, we have the data and inside track to forecast and understand what consumers really want to play,” said Eric Bright, vice president of merchandising for GameStop. “As evident from E3, the gaming industry continues to grow and we’re right in the middle of a hot category where our 40,000 plus store associates will be helping customers access their favorite videogames.”
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Source: GameStop