Good news continues to pour in from the Galar region! Nintendo has announced that Pokemon Sword and Shield sold more than six million units worldwide in their opening weekend. That number includes both physical and digital sales. Two million of those units were sold in the U.S. alone, making it the best American debut the series has ever had.
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The good news isn’t exclusive to the U.S., either. Earlier this week, it was revealed that Sword, Shield and the Double Pack of both games captured the top three spots in the U.K. Physical Top 10, leading to a 30 percent increase in sales of Nintendo Switch in the region. With the holiday season nearly upon us, it’s hard to imagine sales for both Switch and Pokemon Sword and Shield won’t continue to grow.
“This past weekend, millions of people began their Pokรฉmon journeys through the new Galar region,” said Nick Chavez, Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Nintendo of America. “With such a momentous launch, Pokรฉmon Sword and Pokรฉmon Shield have proven to be two of the must-have games this holiday season.”
While every main game in the Pokemon series has proven to be a strong seller, positive reviews likely played some role in the success of Sword and Shield. Before launch, some fans worried that the games might feel incomplete as a number of previously released Pokemon are not attainable in the game. The “National Dex” controversy led to an uproar online, and a fairly noticeable split in the fan community. Reviews have been positive across the board, however, with some calling it one of the best games in the franchise thus far. Another factor in the success of Sword and Shield is likely the new Pokemon introduced in the game, as characters like Yamper and Wooloo have become quick fan favorites.
As of September, the main series Pokemon games sold through 240 million copies globally since the franchise debuted in 1996 with Pokemon Red and Pokemon Green. Notably, this figure omits Sword and Shield’s current numbers as well as spin-off games, such as Pokemon Snap, Pokemon Conquest, Pokemon Ranger and more. Considering most Pokemon spin-offs have also proven to be fairly strong sellers, that 240 million total seems all the more impressive.
Have you checked out Pokemon Sword and Shield yet? What do you think of the games so far? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!
