Nintendo Bets New Hex-Nut Pokémon Will Boost Switch Sales. Let's Go Pikachu and Let's Go Eevee went on sale Friday globally, the first

titles from the popular series for Nintendo's newest console. Armed with

richer graphics, the games are designed to appeal to the 850 million fans who

have played Pokmon Go. Only those who buy the new Let's Go games can sync

their smartphones and Switch consoles through a bluetooth connection. Doing so

lets users transfer pocket monsters between the mobile app and Switch games,

and also unlock Meltan, the new character. Nintendo is aiming to boost Switch

sales during an otherwise lackluster year for software releases. Analysts

point to 2016 when Pokemon Go's debut reignited interest in buying 3DS

consoles to play more games in the series. They estimate Meltan can help sell

7.5 million units of the new titles by March, according to four analyst

projections compiled by Bloomberg. Meltan was trending among Pokemon social

media users within hours of the game's release. By comparison, the Pokmon

series have sold 101 million titles on Nintendo devices since 2004, second

only to the Super Mario franchise with 121 million, according to Nintendo's

data. "Pokmon Go had a significant positive impact on 3DS hardware and Pokmon

software sales, so I think the potential is there for a similar impact on

Switch," said Piers Harding-Rolls, head of games research at IHS Markit.

"Nintendo believes this will make a great gifting product over the holiday

sales season and is a key reason it hasn't dropped its Switch full year

shipment forecast." Nintendo needs to win the support of more gamers like

Christina Grybel, a lifelong Pokmon player in the U.S. who plans to buy a

Switch to collect the new pocket monster. "The main reason to get the Let's Go

game is for Meltan," she said in an interview. At the same time, the move to

link the new Switch game titles to Pokemon Go has alienated some members of

the Pokmon community, who say Meltan's introduction is a cheap move aimed at

fans who like to collect every available pocket monster. That, they say,

forces gamers to spend at least $360 to buy a Switch and a Let's Go game. As a

result, some say that Nintendo is making it very difficult for fans to achieve

the motto of the series, "Gotta Catch 'Em All." "Some people will never be

able to finish their collections in Pokmon Go, which is sad and against what

Pokmon stands for," said Lisa Zahn, a lifelong Pokmon gamer from Germany.

Other veteran players are also threatening to boycott purchases because they

say core features such as battles have been over-simplified to appeal to

smartphone gamers. Lackluster reviews aren't helping, with the new titles

receiving some of the lowest scores in the series. Nintendo declined to

comment. Pokemon Co. acknowledged that the Let's Go games and a Switch are

needed to obtain Meltan, but a company spokesman said even those without

Nintendo's console can do so during a promotional event this winter. Details

will be announced at a later date, he said. DM