Look, let's be honest, August was when gamers of all ages dropped by the shops to wrap up their holidays. It is not like there was some earth-shattering new release, but most retailers managed to pull in foot traffic by pushing merch and gacha machines, meaning visitor numbers stayed surprisingly healthy despite the lack of heavy-hitting titles. Frankly, the punishing heat kept indoor activities up, and a decent genre variety in available titles kept the overall vibe remarkably steady.

Over in the Nintendo Switch camp this month, Rhythm Heaven and Pokémon Pokepia stole the absolute spotlight. Pokémon Pokepia in particular bounced back hard, riding a summer-themed ocean update that beefed up town expansion and pocket monster content. Word on the street is that water-type monsters and upgraded customisation options heavily appealed to fans looking for a relaxing time.

The spike in interest following the launch of Pokémon Pokepia was another notable sight. Hori released the Hori Hybrid Pouch Pokepia Edition, sporting Ditto's pastel purple and the cosy landscapes of Pokepia all at once. Because of this look, gamers picking up Pokémon Pokepia as an entry point alongside Nintendo Switch 2 hardware apparently found themselves naturally snagging the matching pouch too.

On the third-party front, Tsukihime turned heads with an overwhelming number of pre-orders, though word reached us that actual sales post-launch fell a bit short of those pre-order numbers, given the title's hardcore fanbase. Demand for second-hand titles also trended downward compared to the first half of the year. Apparently, secondhand trading apps now allowing adult-only games made a much bigger splash in shifting supply and demand than anyone expected.

Aside from that, minor demand and inquiries trickled in for the Lies of P Complete Edition and Fire Emblem Fuka Yukigetsu packages. To top it off, shops fielded plenty of questions regarding release dates and pre-orders for heavy-hitting IP sequels landing in October, such as the new Castlevania and One Piece Grand Restaurant.

Sony's corner didn't have much in terms of fresh releases this month. Instead, folks were hyper-focused on pre-orders for the slew of new games announced at Gamescom Opening Night Live at the end of August. On the title front, Beasts of Reincarnation grabbed some attention, but hype fizzled out rapidly after launch, whereas Tsukihime generated crazy buzz and reportedly sold out entirely.

Meanwhile, Star Wars Zero Company didn't stir up much initial interest locally due to the nature of the Star Wars IP, but word of mouth picked up after launch reviews dropped, slowly winning over new buyers. As for Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy, the publisher's long-running series formula meant pre-orders and post-launch attention remained pretty quiet.

On top of that, anticipation for major blockbusters dropping in the final quarter of the year, combined with stubbornly high prices for custom PC parts, pushed the pool of prospective PS5 buyers higher. New PS5 Pro units are already hard to come by in stores; while it is not quite hitting the severe shortages of the Nintendo Switch 2, supply is hardly smooth, leading to occasional sell-outs.

The fallout from pre-orders kicking off in late August will hit full force starting early September. Looking at major titles right around the corner, we have The Blood of Dawnwalker, Onimusha: Way of the Sword, and Marvel's Wolverine all clustered at the beginning of the month. Later in the month, Fire Emblem Fuka Yukigetsu, Trails in the Sky the 2nd, Silent Hill: Townfall, Control: Resonant, EA Sports FC 27, and Minecraft Dungeons 2 roll out in quick succession.

All in all, September is shaping up to be the liveliest September we have seen in the last three years. Retail insiders note that with all these heavy hitters crammed together, physical game package visits and pre-orders should easily dwarf the numbers from the past three months. Factoring in how shops have been leaning heavily on merch, gacha, and kuji lately, it looks like we might finally get a taste of the good old days.

The real wildcard in this sea of game abundance, however, is whether hardware supply can actually keep up. Both the Nintendo Switch 2 and PS5 Pro saw massive spikes in interest ahead of price hikes, and while initial shipments were decent, the prolonged inflation of custom PC parts keeps driving players toward consoles. How well each distributor manages their hardware stock moving forward will dictate just how lively these shops remain.