Nintendo says that 10 million copies of Pokemon Scarlet and Pokemon Violet have been sold in just three days.
Nintendo has announced that Pokemon Scarlet and Pokemon Violet have collectively sold over 10 million copies in their first three days of availability. Pokemon has long been one of the world’s most popular video game franchises. Every main series Pokemon release has sold more than 15 million copies, and many have sold considerably more. Incredibly, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet have sold over 10 million copies so quickly after their release.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet were officially released five days ago on November 18, which may indicate how excited Nintendo is about these numbers. The games have been severely criticized for performance issues, such as stuttering and significant graphics bugs. However, these issues were not widely reported until after launch, so it is unlikely that they affected pre-orders or anticipation for the release of Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. Either that, or Pokemon fans don’t mind the lack of polish in the new games.
The 10-million-sale threshold is described by Nintendo as the “highest global sales level” for any software ever sold on any Nintendo platform during its first three days of availability. The astounding sales figure includes pre-orders, post-launch purchases, physical retail copies, and digital game sales. Mario, Zelda, Super Smash Bros., and the rest of the games have been abandoned.
Nintendo attributes the success of Pokemon Scarlet and Violet to the game’s numerous innovations and new features in a press release. The open world structure of Pokemon Scarlet and Violet is the most notable feature, allowing players to freely explore and progress along three distinct story paths. In Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, for the first time in the main series, up to four players can travel cooperatively. Both of these additions have been requested by Pokemon fans for years.
With 10 million in sales, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet have already surpassed the total sales of all Pokemon games, including Pokemon Black 2 and White 2, Pokemon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, and even Pokemon Crystal and Emerald. Even Pokemon Red/Blue/over Green’s 30 million in sales may not be unattainable for Pokemon Scarlet and Violet.
It will be very interesting to track the sales of Pokemon Scarlet and Violet moving forward. Sales at launch that broke records are great, but the complaints about Pokemon Scarlet and Violet’s performance and the mediocre reviews that followed may slow down their momentum. A Pokemon game with momentum is extremely difficult to slow down, however.