During the recently announced Nintendo financials for the third quarter of the current fiscal year it was revealed that Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield for the Nintendo Switch have now sold over 20 million units. This means that Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield are the first mainline games to sell over 20 million since Pokemon Gold and Pokemon Silver which were released back in 1999 for the Game Boy Color. The best-selling Pokemon games continue to be Pokemon Red/Blue/Green for the Game Boy which shifted 31.38 million copies.
Pokemon series sales for all mainline titles:
- Pokemon Red/Blue/Green – 31.38 million
- Pokemon Gold/Silver – 23.1 million
- Pokemon Sword/Shield – 20.35 million
- Pokemon Diamond/Pearl – 17.67 million
- Pokemon X/Y – 16.49 million
- Pokemon Ruby/Sapphire – 16.22 million
- Pokemon Sun/Moon – 16.2 million
- Pokemon Black/White – 15.64 million
- Pokemon Yellow – 14.64 million
- Pokemon Omega Ruby/Alpha Sappire – 14.34 million
- Pokemon: Let’s Go, Pikachu/Eevee – 13.00 million
- Pokemon HeartGold/SoulSilver – 12.72 million
- Pokemon FireRed/LeafGreen – 12.00 million
- Pokemon Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon – 8.89 million
- Pokemon Black 2/White 2 – 8.25 million
- Pokemon Platinum – 7.693 million
- Pokemon Emerald – 7.060 million
- Pokemon Crystal – 6.3 million
Remember when people where supposedly “boycotting” this game? What a joke that has turned into, HAA!! 🤣
When you look at Pokémon sales vs Animal Crossing, Zelda and so on on the Switch, you realise that they could have done so much better given how huge Pokémon is. Other series have been smashing sales records for their respective series on the Switch. Sword/Shield could have done 30 million **easy** if it was a better game.
For the record, I didn’t boycott the game, I’m one of the 20 million purchases. Didn’t touch the DLC though, not interested in DLC for a 7/10 game at best. If they’re not careful, I won’t bother with the main games soon enough, as they become more and more mediocre each time.
Wow that boycott was SUPER effective!
I thought the game was terrible honestly. I’m still one of those sales though lol
haven’t completed the game but as soon as I do, it’s off to eBay for half price !
I’m more surprised Crystal was the lowest in sales.
That’s shocking. I never bought Sword and Shield because I thought it was too short and easy.
How would you know if you never bought it?
Based off what others have said about those games.
I’ve heard the same from others.
Gold and Silver versions were comparable to Red and Blue in every best way but upgraded.
Those games I’d welcome a remake of any day.
Took them long enough. Gen 2 is one of my least favorite gens for reasons I would rather not talk about. I enjoyed gen 8 despite removing the manliest and womanliest pokemon (Samurott and Medicham respectively) and replacing megas with gigantamax.
While still not back to the level of gen 5 these were much better then X/Y and Sun/Moon. I enjoyed the games and actually managed to catch every Pokémon for the first time since the originals. They do need to push the series on a bit though.
I wish they told us about isle of armor sooner. I avoided buying it because I dislike Avery, but I’m glad the update allowed some of my red and Y pokemon to be transferred over.
I am ashamed to have contributed to those 20 million sales, even after I became disgusted with the games when I saw how bad they looked and the whole “we cut Pokemon to make better animations for the ones we did keep in” lie was exposed. Still, I had a bunch of coworkers coerce me into getting one (and I went with Shield) and then the DLC, and then we didn’t even trade or battle or anything. I partially blame the pandemic shutting us down for that, but still, not worth my time or money at all.
Well that’s unfortunate… sword and shield are the worst pokemon games to date. It sold that well because its pokemon and its the switch.
This teaches gamefreak that it possible to sell a quarter baked game and have it break records.
Please dont fuck a D/P remake…
I’m proud to hear of the reception of these “incredible sales performing” games. The games are a pathetic laughingstock of the franchise. It is truly shameful they chose to launch the games on the condition they are in. Fooled me once. If they do not improve their choices, they have betrayed a lifelong fan.
It’s the same foolish mentality some foolish people with an agenda to push had with Captain Marvel & Star Wars 8: if it made money & sold a lot, it must be great! *rolls eyes* The Resident Evil movies got worse with each new entry yet still made loads of money. This world is slowly forgetting quality over quantity & that high quantity doesn’t equate to good quality. But hey! As long as it pushes your agenda (or makes you tons of money), fuck whether the product is actually good. Like Mark Hamill said, to these companies, it doesn’t matter if the product is good but that it sells.
Anyway, Sword & Shield is a good reminder that GameFreak is one of the weakest (laziest) Nintendo developers. I remember when I called it them being stuck in tradition. Eventually, I realized it wasn’t tradition holding them back from making a truly great Pokemon game but laziness. I mean, why put all you got in a product & evolve it when it sells just fine at a mediocre level? Til sales drop (or Nintendo speaks up & tells them to do better), this franchise is never gonna go to the heights it deserves to reach.
There are also some really great horror movies out there but rarely hit the sales mark movies like Jurassic Park, Titanic, & the like hit. Yet most critics can’t wait to trash a horror movie as being terrible.
the amount of salt on this thread is honestly delicious