'Stealth' Pokemon hit boosts Nintendo Switch 2 momentum sentiment

TOKYO, March 12 (Reuters) - Nintendo said on Thursday it has sold more ‌than 2.2 million copies of "Pokemon ‌Pokopia" in the four days since launch as ​the game's popularity helps offset fear about Switch 2 sales momentum.

Industry observers have fretted that the Switch 2 lacks high-profile ‌games to drive ⁠sales, with spiking prices for memory chips also driving market ⁠concern about impact on profit margins.

The new life simulation game, a spin-off from ​the mainline ​Pokemon series, ​has been widely praised ‌and has a metascore of 89 on review aggregator Metacritic.

The game is a "stealth hit", Jefferies analyst Atul Goyal wrote in a client note.

"Pokopia serves as ‌a critical software catalyst, ​accelerating adoption for the ... (Switch ​2) hardware ​install base by capturing the ‌lucrative non-gamer demographic," he ​wrote.

Nintendo previously ​attracted a wide range of consumers with island life simulator "Animal Crossing: New ​Horizons", which ‌become an escapist hit during the ​COVID-19 pandemic.

(Reporting by Sam Nussey; Editing ​by Christopher Cushing)