Scarlet/Violet Sales Outshine Reviews, Second Only to Original Pokémon Games

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet have emerged as some of the most successful titles in the Pokémon franchise, boasting impressive sales figures. As highlighted by Joe Merrick, the webmaster of Serebii.net and reported by Eurogamer, these games have sold over 25 million copies combined. This places them just behind the iconic Pokémon Red/Green/Blue, which sold 31.4 million copies upon its release in 1996 for the Game Boy.

With a total of 26,790,000 units sold, Scarlet/Violet have narrowly surpassed Sword/Shield, which achieved sales of 26,720,000. Rounding out the top five best-selling Pokémon games are 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 at launch, earning primarily average scores and becoming one of the lowest-rated mainline Pokémon games. Fans voiced concerns over technical issues, performance problems, and bugs. In IGN's Pokémon Scarlet and Violet review, the game was rated a 6/10, with the review stating, "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 the bustling Lumiose City amid an urban redevelopment plan designed to create a harmonious space for both humans and Pokémon. In related news, a leak last October disclosed undisclosed details about several Pokémon games, including Legends Z-A. In response, Nintendo has recently subpoenaed Discord to identify the user responsible for the "TeraLeak."