Scarlet/Violet Sales Surpass All But Original Pokémon Games

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet have achieved remarkable sales figures, becoming some of the best-selling Pokémon games of all time. According to Joe Merrick, the webmaster of Serebii.net, and reported by Eurogamer, the combined sales of Scarlet and Violet have surpassed 25 million copies. This places them just behind the original Pokémon Red/Green/Blue, which sold 31.4 million copies upon its release in 1996 on the Game Boy.

With 26,790,000 sales, Scarlet and Violet narrowly edge out Sword and Shield, which sold 26,720,000 copies, securing the second spot in the list of top-selling Pokémon games. Following closely, Gold/Silver and Diamond/Pearl complete the top five, with sales of 23.7 million and 16.7 million copies, respectively.

Despite their commercial success, Scarlet and Violet received mixed reviews upon launch. They are among the lowest-rated mainline games in the series, with many fans pointing out technical issues, performance problems, and bugs. IGN's review of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet gave the games a 6/10, describing them as "Okay." The review praised the open-world gameplay as a promising direction for the franchise but criticized the games for feeling "deeply unfinished."

Looking ahead, Pokémon Legends: Z-A is slated for release later this year. Set in Lumiose City, the game will focus on an urban redevelopment plan aimed at creating a harmonious environment for both people and Pokémon. However, excitement for the upcoming title was marred by a leak last October that revealed undisclosed details about several Pokémon games, including Legends Z-A. In response, Nintendo has recently issued a subpoena to Discord in an effort to identify the individual responsible for the "TeraLeak."