The Pokemon GO effect is real. We’ve been reporting how the success of Pokemon GO has been causing an increased interest in Nintendo’s 3DS Pokemon games (as well as the 3DS hardware itself), including the upcoming Pokemon Sun/Moon later this year, in countries like the UK- but it seems like the craze isn’t localized, it’s globalized.
Multiplayer.it are reporting (via NeoGAF) that Pokemon Sun/Moon have become the most pre-ordered Pokemon games of all time in Italy- it is important to note that all mainline Pokemon games are among the highest selling games of all time, so such a strong performance from Sun/Moon may hint at some incredible sales from them later on when they do release.
Meanwhile, existing Pokemon games have seen their sales shoot up by 59% on average, while 3DS sales have picked up by 33%. The thirst for catching them all is real, you guys. Pokemon Sun/Moon launch exclusively on the Nintendo 3DS on November 18 in North America and Japan, and November 23 in Europe.