The numbers are in, and Pokémon Sword and Shield have sold faster than any 3DS Pokémon games in their first financial quarter. Nintendo has reported that the games sold 16.06 million copies in their first three months.
Pokémon Sword and Shield are the first core-series games since Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon in 2017. They are also the first core-series games on the Nintendo Switch. Pokémon Sun and Moon were the top-selling 3DS games in their first financial quarter, selling 14.69 million copies. Pokémon X and Y sold 11.61 million and Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire as well as Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon both sold under 10 million copies.
The boycotts failed
This news may come as a shock to some fans, who attempted to boycott Pokémon Sword and Shield due to multiple decisions made by Game Freak prior to the release of the games. Fans were unhappy about Game Freak’s decision not to include every Pokémon in the new games.
Fans dubbed this decision “dexit” and phrases like #GameFreakLied began trending on Twitter and other social media platforms. This led many fans to believe that the games were not going to be up to snuff.
Despite all of this, Pokémon Sword and Shield received great reviews on release overall. The games sold over 6 million copies in their first week and have continued to succeed since.
What makes the games so good
While there are some truths to fan complaints about the games, Sword and Shield have breathed new life into competitive battling and other multiplayer activities. The Wild Area and Max Raid Battles have both been shining points of the new games.
The competitive scene has thrived so far in the games. The inclusion of a competitive ranked ladder with tiers and rewards has spurred a lot of interest in competitive battling. The first major VGC event, the Dallas Regional, already has over 400,000 views on YouTube. Recent announcements of DLC and Pokémon Home have likely also generated sales.
This has been an exciting time for Pokémon fans. Be sure to stay up to date with all the latest Pokémon news and stories!
Published: Jan 31, 2020 01:28 am