The Pokemon Franchise Has Shipped Over 300 Million Video Games

The Pokemon franchise has passed another major milestone.

The Pokemon Company has announced that it has shipped over 300 million total video game units since the franchise began in 1999. The Pokemon franchise reached this latest milestone thanks to Pokemon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, which came out last week.

That 300 million unit figure includes both main series games and spinoffs like Pokemon Mystery Dungeon and Pokemon Stadium, but does not include mobile apps like Pokemon Go or Pokemon Shuffle. The figure also includes Virtual Console downloads, which put Pokemon Red and Blue back on the bestseller charts last year.

The Pokemon franchise remains the second bestselling video game franchise of all time, after Nintendo's cornerstone Mario franchise, which has sold a whopping 500 million games. Trailing behind the Pokemon franchise are perennial hits like Grand Theft Auto, Call of Duty, and The Sims.

Pokemon Red and Blue remain the bestselling Pokemon games, with over 31 million copies sold, followed by Pokemon Gold and Silver with 23.1 million. Every other non-sequel/non-secondary Pokemon game has also sold over 15 million copies.

Of course, the Pokemon franchise is a lot more than just video games. The Pokemon Trading Card Game is the second largest collectible card game in the world, trailing only Magic: The Gathering in terms of yearly sales. Pokemon merchandise is also a strong seller, which is why GameStop, Target, and other retailers have recently increased the amount of floor space dedicated to selling Pokemon plushes and toys.

With a Pokemon Switch game on the way, it's clear that the Pokemon franchise is only going to keep growing with time. Here's to 300 million more copies moved!