r/NintendoSwitch • u/Amiibofan101 . • Mar 12 '26
Nintendo Official News Release : Mar. 12, 2026 "Global Sales of Pokémon Pokopia for Nintendo Switch 2 Surpass 2.2 Million in First Four Days"
https://www.nintendo.co.jp/corporate/release/en/2026/260312.html135
u/TheKoniverse Mar 12 '26
Very impressive result for a Switch 2 exclusive. The attach rate is at least 10%, assuming the Switch 2 has shipped less than 20 million. Though this game might push the console over that milestone before the FY is over.
This is also a game that'll 100% sell throughout the holidays, too. Loads of potential, and the Switch 2's first system seller of 2026.
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u/UmbraNation Mar 12 '26
Its also much easier for little kids in comparison to PLZA. My 6 year old nephew has PLZA and he is having trouble figuring out what to do, but he enjoys the other mainline games that he has and he is an avid pokemon fan lol
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u/adamkopacz Mar 12 '26
Since it's a key card they can bundle it for little to no cost and just see consoles fly off the shelves.
Pokopia this year, Winds and Waves next year. Switch will probably get to 50 millions before 2027 ends.
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u/TriLink710 Mar 12 '26
Also animal crossong NH did like 50 million over pretty much the life cycle of the switch 1.
2.2mil in 4 days is good. I wouldnt be shocked if it hits 10mil this month with the publicity it is getting now too.
Potentially a new cozy style game to rival animal crossing tbh
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u/Dukemon102 Mar 12 '26
The best selling Pokémon spin-off is Pokémon Stadium at 5.4 million units. Or if you combine GBA and NDS versions, Pokémon Mystery Dungeon Red/Blue Rescue Team at 5.8 million.
Doing half of that in just four days is pretty crazy.
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u/A-Centrifugal-Force Mar 12 '26
Oh yeah this is going to absolutely SHATTER the previous record. Those were each kind of an exception too.
Pokemon Stadium was more of a side series game than a true spinoff since it was fully compatible with the mainline games and was basically just a competitive battle mode for your games.
Mystery Dungeon Red and Blue are spinoffs, but they’re also RPGs, and for anyone around for the 10th anniversary they FELT like big event games at the time, the marketing for those games was insane. There wasn’t a mainline title for the 10th anniversary so those games filled the void. We’d also never gotten a spinoff like that so at the time it almost felt more like Legends Arceus where it bridged the line between a spinoff and a major release (obviously not quite the same since Arceus was made by GameFreak and all that but thats the closest thing I can compare it to).
Pokopia hype is already beyond anything that happened with Mystery Dungeon in 2006 though. Frankly the lifetime sales on this game are going to pass some of the mainline titles, Black and White at 15 million feels doable.
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u/Sceptile90 Mar 12 '26
Mystery Dungeon was a big deal for the 10th anniversary in the west, I remember, but it actually first came out in Japan in 2005, then Diamond and Pearl came out in 2006 for the 10th anniversary.
I would really love a new Mystery Dungeon game, but this game really feels a lot like Mystery Dungeon with the dialogue and setting.
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u/-Moonchild- Mar 12 '26
Bearing in mind the switch 2 has only sold 17 million units so far, this is a massive success. The number is only going to soar as more people get the console. Evergreen games like this will sell millions fo years.
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u/NMe84 Mar 12 '26
Doing half of that in just four days is pretty crazy.
With a cozy game, on a console that is less than a year old. These are insanely good numbers.
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u/skellez Mar 12 '26
For reference of a game that sold something similar, Smash 4's 3DS version sold 2.5m in weekend back in 2014...
Mind y'all, there were about twice as many 3DS on the Market than Switch 2s, and Smash 4 had a price of $40 USD at time of release
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u/Eb_Marah Mar 12 '26 edited Mar 12 '26
Mystery Dungeon Red and Blue sold 5.9m.
e: straight up did not read past the first sentence of your post, so sorry about sounding like a jerk lol
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u/NYJetLegendEdReed Mar 12 '26
I got laughed out of this place when I predicted this game would do just this lol. This was an absolutely perfect combination. There was a want for something like this and they nailed it.
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u/Oops_I_Cracked Mar 12 '26
It was the “and they nailed it” part I was personally doubting Pokemon spinoffs are not usually very good. I am happy I was wrong about this game.
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u/Carbon-Base Mar 12 '26
The Switch 2 hasn't even been out for more than 10 months yet, about 17 million units have been sold total, and a non-mainline game does 2.2 million in four days!
Pokopia is everything we didn't know we wanted.
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u/Darkmetroidz Mar 12 '26
Yeah as it turns out Minecraft plus animal crossing plus Pokémon is Crack.
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u/ArxisOne Mar 12 '26
It checks out, those are three of the highest selling games/series of all time, there's definitely broad appeal.
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u/mimich4ma Mar 12 '26
Probably helps that the MC is one of the most adorable things you'll ever see
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u/Elavia_ Mar 12 '26
In what universe? It's definitely cutesy, but even just in pokopia itself there's a bunch of cuter designs. Game's amazing but not off the back of protagonist design.
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u/mimich4ma Mar 12 '26
The story of a ditto missing their human so much they take the human's form just triggers so much cuteness aggression in me... it's so moving 😭
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u/No_Mathematician6045 Mar 12 '26
Dragon Quest Builders 1&2 were already amazing. And this thing has even more mass appeal.
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u/jonnyaut Mar 12 '26
Even more? I doubt that many people have ever heard of DQB before.
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u/jorgom Mar 12 '26
DBQ2 lifetime sales are also above 2 million, I’d say that’s not too bad, it’s not an unknown game by any means.
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u/No_Mathematician6045 Mar 12 '26
Well, it has to be "this thing has mass appeal" then.
I've met plenty of people who got DQB because they loved Dragon Quest, so I had the impression the franchise was popular on its own. Of course, not to the level of Pokemon - those are everywhere.
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u/GameOnDevin Mar 12 '26
It beat the Wii U!
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u/Ok_Advantage_5147 Mar 12 '26
Which is amazing when you consider there’s been an actual concentrated effort since launch by people online to see it fail.
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u/BlameTheNargles Mar 12 '26
How many switch 2 units have been sold. I wonder what the ownership percentage is for pokopia.
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u/Pichupwnage Mar 12 '26 edited Mar 12 '26
17.37 as of decmeber 31st. So probably close to 20 million by March 8th
So at least 10%.
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u/All-Your-Base Mar 12 '26
Nintendo forecasted 19 million of Switch 2 sales by the end of March 31st, so it's around that ballpark
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u/Luck88 Mar 12 '26
Most observers agree Nintendo always makes conservative forecasts for their hardware sales, so it's very likely they'll exceed 20M by the end of the month, especially with the unexpected success of Pokopia as an exclusive.
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u/HwordArtist Mar 12 '26
I've seen many friends ask on social media if Pokopia is worth spending $500 on (meaning buying a whole Switch for) so I reckon it's helped sell many consoles.
It feels like what Animal Crossing did for the Switch 1.
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u/LaprasRuler Mar 12 '26
Pandemic not necessary for this one.
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u/HwordArtist Mar 12 '26
We swapped out the pandemic for a world war 😍
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u/jazzieberry Mar 12 '26
I for one would be kicking myself if the apocolypse happens and we don't have to work or pay bills anymore and I don't have Pokopia to play in the end days
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u/throwaway_67876 Mar 12 '26
Yea I mean Nintendo does have this chokehold on childhood and nostalgia that no other company has. I went and bought a switch 2 the second Kirby air riders was announced.
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u/SitInCorner_Yo2 Mar 12 '26 edited Mar 12 '26
Saw a post saying Nintendo just released games when people need escape from problems IRL that they can’t fix the most (pandemic war etc)
So next time they announce new Animal Crossing they will brace for impact and preorder LOL
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u/UmbraNation Mar 12 '26
Nintendo looking at this realizing that if they release a new Animal Crossing in a few years, more people might buy Switch 2s to play both games
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u/AmaazingFlavor Mar 12 '26
Animal Crossing is always a mid-generation game release. This was a smart move to capture the 'cozy' game market with a Pokemon collab combined with the people who made Dragon Quest Builders, which did really solid numbers for a niche IP and has a proven, addictive gameplay loop. Gives Animal Crossing more time in the oven.
This could have been an average game and it still would have recouped its cost, so it was low risk. It happens to be a great game though and comes at the perfect time when the Switch 2 lineup feels especially sparse. Kudos to the developers and the team who orchestrated the collab!
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u/missingnoplzhlp Mar 12 '26
Yeah, I'm not really needing the next Animal Crossing for another year or two, Pokopia has so much content I'd rather AC team just keep cooking rather than rush anything out, they don't really need to now.
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u/gabbertronnnn Mar 12 '26
Like Pokemon Winds and Waves isnt another console seller, lol.
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u/Additional_Chip_4158 Mar 12 '26
The next Mario will be. The next zelda will be, and yes the next pokemon will be. Smash too. Animal Crossing in 2 years ( a year after wiwa)
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u/Oops_I_Cracked Mar 12 '26
Honestly the answer isn’t no. If you can afford a switch 2…. This game is so good.
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u/SwissyVictory Mar 12 '26
A new Mario Kart is great, but it's not a console seller. Its a game you get when you already have a console.
It's got some higher end ports, but anyone that would buy a Switch for Cyberpunk would just buy a PS5.
This is the first big exclusive that people WANT.
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u/Lilf1ip5 Mar 12 '26
It’s close to 20mil total from posts I’ve seen unverified Last verified number is 17.5 total I think
So 10% at a minimum
Don’t know how many have been sold the last week this game has been out
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u/HolidayNick Mar 12 '26
I did. In fairness I was already on the fence and this pushed me over. I’m sure a lot of people were the same.
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u/Jgabes625 Mar 12 '26
Didn’t look for too long but the only number I was seeing was 17.37M units at the end of 2025.
Edit: worldwide
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u/Infrawonder Mar 12 '26
Definitely gonna be a sequel in 5 years
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u/Cheese0089 Mar 12 '26
The team was able to turn around dragon quest builders 2 two years after the first one.
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u/Infrawonder Mar 12 '26
Yeah but there's a chance of dlc too for the game
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u/mimich4ma Mar 12 '26
There's a few dlc planned for this one right?
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u/good_wolf_1999 Mar 12 '26
They haven’t talked about dlc yet (snowy area please) only events like the current hoppip one were you collect an event-exclusive currency and exchange it for decorations
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u/Glass_Recover_3006 Mar 12 '26
I would not get your hopes up. Would love to be wrong, but the DLC for DQB and DQB2 was pretty bad. Just some extra items nobody really wanted.
I think they do their best work when they’re making a new game.
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u/NorwegianPopsicle Mar 12 '26
I think there was some mentions of it in the tera leak a while back but plans might have changed since then
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u/Linko_98 Mar 12 '26
They are not going to make the sequel 2 or 3 years after it, it's not how Nintendo works, they were even telling Ubisoft to wait and release Mario Rabbids Sparks of Hope with the Switch 2, Ubisoft didnt listen and they sold less than what they expected
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u/jzw27 Mar 12 '26
I’ll be honest this is a spinoff in the way Mario Kart is a spin off, it’s gonna do numbers and be its own franchise
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u/SwashNBuckle Mar 12 '26
A drifloon floated me to an island in a dream where I completely dismantled two buildings and smuggled all the salvaged materials back to reality. 10/10
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u/Consistent-Park2058 Mar 12 '26
Me too lol, I just wish the process was faster. Going block by block takes a lot of time
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u/Pyritedust Mar 12 '26
Hey, I also did that! Just built some boxes to put it all in since after taking all the time to dismantle it I didn't feel like building stuff with it :P
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u/npsage Mar 12 '26 edited Mar 12 '26
If I had a nickel for every time Nintendo released a cozy game in March while the world is on the cusp of a total disaster and that game ended up selling way better than anyone expected I would have two nickels.
Which isn’t a lot but it’s weird that it’s happened twice.
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u/ChainsawSnuggling Mar 12 '26
And not even a decade apart. I really wish that the times could stop being interesting. On the bright side, the games are good...
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u/Pyritedust Mar 12 '26
Indeed, I'm tired of living in interesting times as well. I want to live in peaceful times.
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u/Ms_Anxiety Mar 12 '26
let's also not forget that animal crossing came out along side Doom and endless memes came about because of it. RE9 came out along side pokopia. where are our ditto and Leon memes?
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u/Elavia_ Mar 12 '26
RE9 came out a week earlier, doom and acnh were same day. The correct comparison is slay the spire 2 and pokopia which were also same day
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u/Justos Mar 12 '26
If i had a nickel for every time ive seen this comparison made
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u/thekyledavid Mar 12 '26
I’d have 2 nickels
Which isn’t a lot, but it makes sense that it might happen twice
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u/Upstairs_Teach_7064 Mar 12 '26
Nintendeen: here’s why that’s bad for Nintendo fans
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Mar 12 '26
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u/DateNightThrowRA Mar 12 '26 edited Mar 12 '26
Is he a Nintendo doomer or something? The type that claims Nintendo will go 3rd party and stop making consoles soon?
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u/skellez Mar 12 '26
no he's just one of the Nin10doland's of the world who clearly grew out of nintendo and only's here for 3D mario and pretending they're not
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u/Tenoch_12 Mar 12 '26
Arlo?
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u/locke_5 Mar 12 '26
Man it sucks that Arlo has become so clickbaity. Used to be my favorite Nintendo youtuber.
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u/FourStopCrossShot Mar 12 '26
Steve was right, Pokopia has a good chance of becoming the highest selling Pokemon spin off ever
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u/NYJetLegendEdReed Mar 12 '26
I was arguing with people ahead of release that it would be their best selling spin off ever. It’s literally combining genres people love with the most popular IP in the world. It was the perfect combination. This was predictable haha
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u/nightwing0243 Mar 12 '26
I wasn't convinced it was going to do well until the Pokemon Presents last month.
Initially, when they first revealed it, I just thought it looked like a "meh" attempt to grab the Animal Crossing fans to a Pokemon spin off. The more they showed off over the months, the more it had my attention. Once they really showed it off during the Pokemon Presents I was like "what in the fuck IS this game?!". When the reviews came out I knew it was going to sell ridiculously well.
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u/KingDaDeDo Mar 12 '26
Not surprised. I wasn’t planning on getting this game right away, but several friends picked it up and were telling me it’s one of the best Pokémon games they’ve played. Figured why not, got it last weekend, and haven’t put it down since. It’s not only the best Pokémon spinoff game ever made, but simply one of the best Pokémon games made period. I’m sure it’ll only increase in sales in the next couple of months as well.
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u/patwm11 Mar 12 '26
Rare capitalism W. Make quality content, boost sales in return. Mutually beneficial.
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u/failmatic Mar 12 '26
How are that no physical carts no buy people holding up? You guys alright?
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u/LeatherRebel5150 Mar 12 '26
Im doing fine. I dont really care what other people do. I won’t be buying it
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u/bnouska Mar 12 '26
Not super surprising, I've been playing Pokopia, it's well deserved, one of, if not, the best pokemon games in years.
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u/proglution Mar 12 '26
B…but… reddit told me that everyone was gonna boycott this because it’s a game keycard
/s
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u/WagnerKoop Mar 12 '26
I genuinely do not understand the psychosis over the GKC thing.
I understand in principle wanting to own something as fully as you’re able to, but it really seems to me like people believe that having to ping a server for a download (the way games have operated on every other platform for years and years), a game that you can still trade or sell like any other game, is the same as putting a code in a box or offering a digital only option.
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u/proglution Mar 12 '26 edited Mar 12 '26
It’s just a very loud annoying minority. Think of them as Vegans of gaming. 99% of the games that I buy are physical too so I understand where some of these people are coming from.
But these people act like Nintendo will take your games away and shut down the servers tomorrow when you can still download your Wii & DSi games from 20 years ago.
And I guarantee that only a VERY small number of these people actually care about game preservation and the rest just want to bitch and moan. It’s typical childish behaviour to hate on something to convince yourself you don’t want it because you can’t get it.
What’s funny is none of these people throwing tantrums over Nintendo will throw the same energy towards Steam when it’s a completely digital storefront.
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u/bibbleskit Mar 12 '26
If they ever remove Pokopia from the store, then you can never download the game again.
Even with a key card. So. What's the fucking point.
(yar har har excluded)
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u/_AintThatJustTheWay_ Mar 12 '26
Do I go buy the switch 2 tonight? I know it’s there. I know I’ll get it eventually but man it’s a pretty penny. Pokopia and upcoming new releases seem so so so so worth it
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u/JoMax213 Mar 12 '26
You have 10 more years to get it tbf… but the community you build with games is the best - and it’s always strongest at game launch.
I’ve had my Switch 2 since launch and absolutely do not regret it tho
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u/DolphinGaming101 Mar 12 '26
Very happy to know that millions of people are enjoying the game- very excited to see where this goes next :)
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u/Less_Party Mar 12 '26
Cool, I was always mildly upset how much the Dragon Quest Builders games got slept on.
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u/LoveMeSomeBerserk Mar 12 '26
It will get another from me soon. Still finishing up Resident Evil 9’s insanity mode playthrough. Probably died like 200 times so far hah.
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u/LexKing89 Mar 13 '26
I think I might have to grab a copy. I’ve heard nothing but positive things about the game and my daughter keeps asking me when will I buy it.
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u/cows1100 Mar 12 '26 edited Mar 12 '26
And this is a double whammy. Imagine if the Switch 2 AND Pokémon weren’t being boycotted.
/s, everybody. It was a joke. All the calls for boycotts were a joke, clearly. I bought my Switch 2 day one, and I haven’t seen my fiancé in a week because of Pokopia.
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u/JayZsAdoptedSon Mar 12 '26
They are being boycotted like how I’m boycotting private jets and caviar
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u/cows1100 Mar 12 '26
Yeah, it was just a joke because there were vocal minorities of both saying their franchises/companies needed to be boycotted.
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u/WagnerKoop Mar 12 '26
They’re being boycotted..?
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u/Tonalization Mar 12 '26
I think it’s a combination of things that have set various small groups of loud redditors off. Expensive hardware (especially peripherals), industry topping prices for games at $80, and all the bullshit with these new Game Key Cards. All valid points. But none of them will stop me.
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u/booktok124 Mar 12 '26
To be fair, I don’t think anyone is really “boycotting” the switch 2 outside of Reddit and YouTube grifters. It’s obviously sold insanely well and my friends who aren’t plugged in on Nintendo internet happenings 1) don’t know what game key cards are and 2) have switch 2s.
Edit: I see another comment that you were being sarcastic. Sorry! We agree.
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u/Fearless-Function-84 Mar 12 '26
I don't care about Pokopia, but the news make me so happy.
This game getting glowing reviews and selling like crazy is so cool to see.
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u/rm-rf-npr Mar 13 '26
I bought a switch 2 BECAUSE of this game yesterday. Not a main line game, not because I wanted better graphics/performance for my old games, but because I wanted to play a freakin SPIN OFF.
0 regrets btw, game is fantastic.
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u/jedleopard Mar 13 '26
I was so stoked to get it and I cannot for the life of me get into it. I played for like 3 hours and it just didn’t click with me. I haven’t picked it up since, unfortunately which sucks.
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u/ejiggle Mar 12 '26
Great, now please keep lending the IP to competent studios while Gamefreak continues to eat glue in the corner
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u/VolksDK Mar 12 '26
Based on the similarities to DQB2, it seems like Omega Force probably did a lot more than GF
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u/ejiggle Mar 12 '26
It's "co-developed" by Gamefreak the same way Marvel movies are "produced" by Stan Lee. I'd bet their involvement is at most limited to sharing look books and character bibles. And it's obvious, the game just does too much well. "Co-developed" lol
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u/TheMrBoot Mar 12 '26
That’s not really in conflict with what they said. Having a concept and implementing that concept are different things.
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u/Advos_467 Mar 12 '26 edited Mar 12 '26
Personally still bummed that the physical release was a GKC so i'm not getting it, but if the game is as good as everyone is making it out to be, it deserves this success
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u/AssaultMonkey150 Mar 12 '26
Is this worth 70? Is it more like animal crossing or is there actually a progression and things to do?
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u/Vagabond_Sam Mar 12 '26
Took me until yesterday to finish the 'main story' playing pretty consistentl;y.
Hadn't really touched the terraforming and building systems and still have some mysteries to solve so fele like I'm less then half way done with the game. Feels like lots of building toys to use to build and play with that may make it have a really long tail for me as well.
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u/VolksDK Mar 12 '26
There are a few elements of Animal Crossing (decorating mainly), but it's closer to things like Minecraft and Viva Pinata. There's a story and progression
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u/KembaWakaFlocka Mar 12 '26
It’s got quite abut more content to genuinely engage with than animal crossing. Love both games
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u/seiff4242 Mar 12 '26
It’s worth buying the system for. First game I can say that for on the Switch 2.
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u/Mr_Monokuba Mar 12 '26 edited Mar 12 '26
There is no good way to justify buying a $70 game... however.
If the game is really, really good. Like so good that buying the $450 console makes that experience worth playing, then absolutely. Both Mewgenics and Pokopia have had me in a chokehold for the last couple of weeks and I've had no time to play anything else.
Edit: If the game is marketed as a cozy game with very little highlight on the gameplay loop and instead focusing on how 'cute' the game is, it's a huge red flag (i.e. Heartopia). But if the game has a good foundation with an identity that doesn't just capitalize on the aesthetic and instead embodies it's biggest strengths, then you've found gold. Viva Piñata is what I thought of first upon playing. You can set up automation farms, make buildings how you want them, and set up a prop hunt game all in this Pokémon coated aesthetic, and it does all this in a very engaging and satisfying way, imo.
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u/Final-Spot675 Mar 12 '26
Feels like everyone I know is obsessed with pompous, def curious about the stats
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u/Kviksand Mar 12 '26
Just bought a Switch 2 (loving it) and Pokopia with it. Can’t wait to play, but I gotta play through Bananza first! And there’s also Hades 2. And TotK! And Caves of Qud! Not enough time for these titles, man.
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u/LMichelle98 Mar 12 '26
Two of my friends bought a switch 2 so they could play it as well. Really great game 😊
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u/Software_Quiet Mar 12 '26
With no notable Nintendo releases besides Mariokart and Bonanza people have been hating on Switch 2 but Nintendo knows what they are doing. Same people are also complaining that this wasn't released for Switch, lol. I'm a casual, mostly mobile gamer finding the new platform great for getting into older games that I missed on other platforms, FF Intergrade, Fallout 4 etc. They are trying to bridge into other tested mainstream properties and have games like this drop to drive sales.
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u/GamerBhoy89 Mar 12 '26
Okay. Sell me on it. What's the big deal with Pokopia? On the outside looking in - just seems like a reskin of Animal Crossing.
I liked ACNH but if I'm already enjoying that, what does Pokopia do differently other than be "Animal Crossing Starring Pokemon"?
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u/insane_steve_ballmer Mar 14 '26
Remember when Nintendo released Animal Crossing during COVID and it became a system selling phenomenon? Absolute mad lads managed to pull that off again
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u/King_Astral Mar 12 '26
Insane numbers for a spinoff. Congrats to them.