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

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet have achieved remarkable success, becoming some of the best-selling Pokémon games of all time. According to Joe Merrick, the webmaster of Serebii.net, and reported by Eurogamer, these two games have surpassed 25 million copies sold, outpacing all Pokémon titles since the original Pokémon Red/Green/Blue, which sold 31.4 million copies upon its release in 1996 on the Game Boy.

With a total of 26,790,000 sales, Scarlet and Violet have just edged out Pokémon Sword and Shield, which sold 26,720,000 copies, securing the second spot in the franchise's sales rankings. The top five is completed by Pokémon Gold and Silver with 23.7 million sales, and Pokémon Diamond and Pearl with 16.7 million sales.

Despite their commercial success, Scarlet and Violet received mixed reviews upon launch. They are among the lowest-rated mainline Pokémon games, with many fans pointing out technical issues, performance problems, and bugs. In IGN's Pokémon Scarlet and Violet review, the games were described as "Okay," earning a 6/10 score. The review praised the open-world gameplay as a promising step forward 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 focuses on an urban redevelopment plan designed to create a harmonious environment for both people and Pokémon. Last October, a leak sharing unknown information about numerous Pokémon games, including Legends Z-A, surfaced online. In response, Nintendo has recently subpoenaed Discord to identify the individual behind the "TeraLeak."