Merchandise over Games?

Pokémon is a hugely popular and well-known franchise around the world. Its bread and butter are the games, which are the initial form of the franchise and have sold in large numbers... or is it? It has been stated that this may not actually be the case, and what carries the day is actually merchandise, which for Pokémon came about later on. This would have many implications on either side, and it would be good to make sense of this through a discussion.

I got the idea for this discussion just as I was writing up the post for the newly launched promotional campaign in my country of residence. At that point, I also considered an observation that someone had made regarding the sales of games vis-a-vis the sales of merchandise related to those games, though the observation wasn't made specifically toward Pokémon. As it came back to my memory, I had decided that it would be worthy of discussion, this time being related to Pokémon.

The observation, in paraphrased form, is that "games don't sell, merchandise does". It doesn't mean that games in comparison to related merchandise have a hard time selling; Pokémon already refutes that as above. It means, at least as a fundamental implication, that the games sell, but merchandise sells even more than the games. As a further implication, merchandise would be something that backs up or supports the selling of games, which would then result in further games and even more merchandise ad infinitum.

From the observation, it would also mean that the fans who purchase merchandise to collect them would similarly support the franchise as those who purchase the games to play through them. Therefore, it would be no problem for the latter in devoting themselves to obtain merchandise even if they do not invest in and play the games, as the support would be equal to or even exceed those who play.

Such fans do exist, and it doesn't take much to look for them. My (currently inactive) figure group has a few people that show no sign of actively playing the games in any form, but their devotion to (and in some cases, even knowledge of) Pokémon figures is as great as those who play the games, perhaps even more in some respects. They even won't shy away from purchasing figures whose values exceed the sale values of the games, and further with their consoles as a whole. 

Given the above, the observation seems to be evidently true even for Pokémon. With such a strong image, Pokémon merchandise becomes very appealing for gamers and non-gamers alike, for which the purchase of the former contributes to and affirms the lasting success of the franchise. That lasting success as well as ubiquitous popularity cannot be denied, whether one's interest is collectibles or things to play with.

One year ago: Pokémon Go: Tap... Tap... Tappity-Tap...

Two years ago: Sitting Pikachu Keychain

Three years ago: Pokémon Go Event Rollup, 12/20/2018

Four years ago: Movie Manga!