  We show that the number of solitons produced from an arbitrary initial pulse
of the simple wave type can be calculated analytically if its evolution is
governed by a generalized nonlinear Schr\"{o}dinger equation provided this
number is large enough. The final result generalizes the asymptotic formula
derived for completely integrable nonlinear wave equations like the standard
NLS equation with the use of the inverse scattering transform method.
