Yellow goes Platinum

[11.01.99] » Pokémon Yellow: Special Pikachu Edition passes the one million mark in just two weeks.

   Nintendo today announced that Pokémon Yellow: Special Pikachu Edition has sold over one million copies in just two weeks, making the Game Boy Color title the fastest-selling Nintendo game ever. The previous record belonged to last year's The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. During the same two week period, Nintendo also managed to sell 80,000 copies of the bundle containing Pokémon Yellow and a Pokémon-themed Game Boy Color unit.

   None too surprisingly, Pokémon Yellow also topped last week's sales statistics, tracked by the independent NPD Group. The other slots in the top five were also filled by Pokémon titles: Pokémon Pinball, Pokémon Red, Pokémon Blue, and Pokémon Snap, respectively.

   "The sales numbers we're seeing within the first 14 days for Pokémon Yellow Version: Special Pikachu Edition seem to confirm the impossible-- Pokémon is actually getting more popular," says Peter Main, executive vice president of sales and marketing at Nintendo. "In marketing terms, we may be watching a textbook definition of synergy. The video games, trading cards and toys, along with anticipation for the upcoming movie, all are fueling what's now a major entertainment franchise."

   GIA's thoughts on the most recent addition to the Pokémon franchise can be found in our recent Pokémon Yellow review.