Scarlet/Violet Sales Soar, Second Only to Original Pokémon Games

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet stand out as some of the best-selling Pokémon games in history. According to Joe Merrick, the webmaster of Serebii.net, and reported by Eurogamer, the combined sales of these two games have surpassed 25 million copies. This impressive figure places them just behind the legendary Pokémon Red/Green/Blue, which sold 31.4 million copies upon its release in 1996 on the Game Boy.

In terms of sales, Scarlet/Violet have edged out Sword/Shield, securing second place with 26,790,000 copies sold, compared to Sword/Shield's 26,720,000. The top five best-selling Pokémon games are rounded out by Gold/Silver, with 23.7 million copies, and Diamond/Pearl, with 16.7 million copies.

Despite their commercial success, Scarlet/Violet received a mixed reception upon launch. They debuted with scores that rank them among the lowest-rated mainline games in the series. Fans and critics alike pointed out numerous technical issues, performance problems, and bugs. In IGN's Pokémon Scarlet and Violet review, the game was rated a 6/10, with the comment: "The open-world gameplay of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet is a brilliant direction for the future of the franchise, but this promising shift is sabotaged by the numerous ways in which Scarlet and Violet feel deeply unfinished."

Pokémon Legends: Z-A is slated for release later this year, set in Lumiose City where an urban redevelopment plan aims to create a harmonious space for both people and Pokémon. Last October, a leak containing unknown information about various Pokémon games, including Legends Z-A, surfaced online. In response, Nintendo has recently subpoenaed Discord to identify the individual behind the "TeraLeak."