Who knew that if you shake up the formula and introduce an updated take on the Pokémon series, people would flock to it? In just one week, Pokémon Legends: Arceus has gone on to sell 6.5 million copies, following a similar record for remakes Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl.
Yesterday we reported about the Nintendo Switch’s lifetime sales, including the news that Arceus sold over 1 million copies in Japan. Outside of that, we don’t know how the game sold in each territory but regardless, the news is exciting. One of the things I loved seeing was the lack of a complete National Pokédex being available — I don’t need access to over 800 creatures and I certainly don’t want the devs straining themselves to get every monster added.
Analyst Daniel Ahmad spoke about the sales milestone on Twitter, confirming the news.
Pokémon Legends Arceus sold through 6.5m units in one week, after a record launch for BDSP.
– Fastest selling Pokémon game on Switch
– Sword / Shield & BDSP sold 6m each in their first week
– Just behind Sun / Moon first week (~7.2m)
– Higher than Smash Ultimate first week (5m) https://t.co/Qt0KQLpZGx— Daniel Ahmad (@ZhugeEX) February 4, 2022
Pokémon Sword & Shield & Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl sold 6 million each in their first week. These titles are just behind Pokémon Sun & Moon’s first week at 7.2 million.
