Amazon hikes Pokopia price as new Pokémon game seemingly sells out everywhere
It’s claimed that Nintendo has underestimated demand for the physical version
Nintendo Switch 2’s big new Pokémon game, Pokopia, appears to be experiencing widespread shortages of its physical version, with major retailers worldwide claiming to be sold out.
Pokopia, the first Switch 2 exclusive Pokémon entry, released last week and is available as a Game Key Card via its physical edition. However, dozens of retailers appear to have run out of supply already.
In the US, retailers including Walmart, GameStop, Target, and even Nintendo’s official store are sold out, while Amazon has unofficially raised the price of Pokopia’s physical version to $80, seeming to capitalize on demand.
It’s a similar situation in other regions, including the UK, Australia, and others, where major retailers are already sold out. In Canada, Walmart released a statement confirming that it’s sold through its initial supply of Pokopia, and said it’s ordered a second wave of games.
According to The Game Business editor Christopher Dring, UK sales data suggests that physical supply of Pokopia was “seriously undersupplied” at retailers. It’s likely a similar situation worldwide, he said, suggesting that the shortages could be down to an underestimation of demand, rather than a significant upswell in sales.
According to Dring, Pokopia’s UK launch physical sales were “not even half” of what Legends: Z-A managed on Switch 2 last year.
Guides: Visit our Pokémon Pokopia guide hub for step-by-step walkthroughs of all of the game’s Important Requests, complete Pokopia Pokedex, all habitats, and more.
It’s possible that the platform holder believed that its decision to make Pokopia a Game Key Card (it’s the first first-party title to adopt it) would drive consumers to digital, since the initiative had so far proved unpopular with the most engaged players.
VGC’s Pokémon Pokopia review calls it “Pokémon’s best spin-off”, noting that the need to grind late in the game “can’t dull the shine” of the overall experience.
“Pokémon Pokopia is an excellent life simulation game that takes the best bits from the champions of the genre and evolves into something that Pokémon fans and cozy game fans will love,” we wrote. “Late-game grinding doesn’t dull an adventure that’s as full of discovery at 100 hours as it was at one.”
