Japanese Charts: Pokémon Sword And Shield Debut In Top Spot, As Switch Sales Continue To Rise

Not really shocked, to be honest. It's Pokémon so it's guaranteed to sell well.

Just a shame this Gen didn't feel like it did as well as it could have.

Is this the part where we boost our egos by passive-aggressively belittling everyone who bought Swosh? I may be lost.

Holy crap, that Switch takeover is massive. It's almost like the opposing consoles are solely Xbox numbers.

@CosmoXY The way I see it, it feels like the soul is gone. It's dead on ine inside, so to speak.

You're still catching pokemon and traveling about but they aren't doing anything special to make one game stand out from the other. Not much, anyway.

I think they need to step back from this idea that they have to dumb down things and hold our hands so much, and for heavens sake, give us our Pokémon back.

Impressive that Minecraft on Switch passed a million, in Japan especially considering Microsoft's lack of success in that region when it comes to gaming.

@Kalmaro
Ok, I would like to know what are those points / ideas that the Pokemon games "have lost".

X/Y and Sun/Moon sold 2.1 and 1.9 million retail copies at launch in Japan, so there has obviously been a considerable decline in physical sales for Pokemon.

Digital sales should bring Sword/Shield's launch figure up to ~1.7 million (assuming a ~20% digital sales ratio) - there will still be an overall launch sales decline compared to X/Y and Sun/Moon, but not by much.

With the increasing shift to digital consumption, combined with more digital purchasing incentives such as the NSO vouchers, I dont think we'll ever see a game debut at 1.5+ million retail sales in Japan ever again.

Ring Fit Adventure weekly Japanese sales:
1. 68,497
2. 64,045
3. 51,143
4. 52,240
5. 28,015
Total: 263,940
Seems like the game is running into serious stock issues.
On a more positive note, Ring Fit Adventure has outsold Labo Kit 1 in Japan.

Wow, congratulations!
Pokemon Sword is quite entertaining me despite with some flaws i knew or i heard.
I will not crying for Dexit, just choose other Pokemons with same elemental or movements similarity and i will digging in the game.

So many people doubted Sword and Shield but they've proven to be, minimally, acceptable entries to the series. Very welcome additions came in gen 8. Pokemon is far from dead. We may have found out that Gamefreak needs a bigger team, but I fear hiring outsiders will prove to compromise the trueness of Pokemon games. Either way, glad to see it sold exceptionally well!

Why are people buying such a crap game
୧( ಠ Д ಠ )୨ I care deeply about what other people do and think they should all agree with me rawr.

@westman98 Even more impressive for X/Y when you consider it launched on a Saturday.

@Swizze
Nice try Troll, Hater or whatever.
If you really care what others do, then, it is very your business, not mine nor of others; Even though it is good to worry about others, worrying about this is not the best idea, besides, waste your time wanting to convince people to follow your opinion and ideas.

its almost as if the majority of people dont care about the incomplete pokedex and its a small vocal minority raising a stink about it...

@SakuraHaruka was sarcasm lol

@Swizze

Ups, Sorry, Well, It was missing the "/s"
Sometimes It's hard to know when something is a sarcasm.

Shame. With those sales, it won't surprise me if Game Freak deliver another effortless game in the future, that's what saddens me most.

I'm glad the Switch family had sold over 10 million units but that's because of combine numbers of both models, if the original could reach 10 million units without the Switch Lite then I'll be happy.

Wew, good sales for Pokémon! Thoroughly pleased with those numbers. They're amazing games, so to see it replicated in sales is always nice.

@SakuraHaruka I kinda thought the dumb face and rawr would of made it obvious (≧▽≦)

@Lemonyoshi Who doubted the game would sell like hot-cakes?

@SakuraHaruka Mostly just any sense of challenge, post-game, telling a story, interesting rivals, not being able to play with all the Pokémon, not interrupting you constantly with nps, not running the risk of over-leveling just from catching pokemon, etc
They used to do stuff that made each game feel more unique, but lately it's been getting dumbed down more to suit a casual crowd that would probably would have liked things the way they were before without all the hand-holding.

It's well-deserved, Sword and Shield are great games, there are some signs of it being a bit rushed though, Dexit is an obvious one, but also some of the later towns are "Go here, do the gym, never go here again", which is a bit of a waste, each town has its own theme, and it's sad to see some of them wasted on empty towns with hardly anything to do. (One town is basically a pokecenter and the gym challenge, that's it.)

Maybe in the nigh-inevitable sequel, they'll use the added time to flesh out those towns a bit, upgrade the online-functions, and dare i hope, undo Dexit.

@BarefootBowser,

The switch lite is doing pretty well, and it's pretty obvious they will have held stock back for Pokemon and the holiday season, well in Japan at least.

@Kalmaro I'm trying to decide what SwSh has done so differently to make each version not feel unique to you.

It has the typical version exclusive Pokemon, couple extra through fossils and items and gym leaders, which is actually a more significant change that will make a play through on each different.

SuMo had the typical region exclusives and what, one version was 12 hours ahead? Yea, that was obviously far more significant and game changing and not at all a minimal effort way to justify two versions /s

Dont even remember what X/Y did. Probably nothing.

Actually cant remember what any other version did outside of version Pokemon. A/S changed the villain team, but even that was mostly just replacing some dialogue and skins.

@Kalmaro
Definitely agree with your points. I'm still enjoying the game so far but it's too easy.

Just thinking of all those parents who are heading out there to get copies of Pokémon for their children to put smiles on their little faces for their birthdays and Christmas, blissfully unaware that they’re “part of the problem”.

@Kalmaro My biggest problem is the over-leveling that you mentioned. There was still some fun I had in this one mainly stemming from the new Pokémon which I did like a lot of them. No real issue with the ones left behind. But I just hated how this game could be breezed thru so quickly compared to others, and would penalize you for catching new Pokémon in the field by over leveling your party. Yeah I could switch Pokémon out I guess but still I like my team I’ve got and if this game had longer caves and routes littered with trainers it’d been fine. Kindve wished trainers and gym leaders would level up right along with you and also have more money to battle in their party, many would have just one. Not a terrible game tho, just wished it could have been a bit more.

I meant mons to battle in their party.

According to TPC, Pokemon Sword/Shield has sold 6 million copies globally in its first week and is the fastest-selling Switch game ever. The previous record holder was Super Smash Bros Ultimate, which sold 5 million copies in its first week.

Of that 6 million copies, 2 million copies were sold in Japan, which means the game had a substantial 34%+ digital attach ratio. That means Sword/Shield sold about as much what Pokemon X/Y and Sun/Moon sold at launch in Japan (2.1 and 1.9 million copies respectively).

@Swizze perhaps because it's not crap...

I have been playing Sword, gotta say i am loving the game but while seeing all the negative comments, they are also true, as i cant help while playing, how lazy they were in certain parts.

@Beetoe <(￣︶￣)> read the other comments dude

@Tao ruby/sapphire was interesting.

Battling traininers again with Vs seeker whenever you wanted, different battle types, secret hideouts, the music got a massive upgrade, they did quite a bit.

Black and white, I think, focused more on the story and it shows. The story there was interesting.

@Sandro89 I'm glad you're enjoying it. I have a friend who likes it and avoided all the stuff online so they don't know about too many of the controversies. I've been trying to just let them enjoy themselves.

@TYRANACLES At no point should you ever have to watch how many Pokémon you catch... In a Pokémon game.

Hey, no matter what people say or think of the game, I am enjoying pokemon shield, and that is that.

In less the 3 years Switch a Smash hit and yet we still have haters/naysayers putting it down. That more or less tells everyone they had a hatred for Nintendo from day one and could careless. Nintendo isn't crying over spilled milk and the sales numbers reflect that climb. For their record sales in less then 3 years people just can't bring themselves to accept their own prejudice is so wrong they can't say it. "We were wrong".

FYI: Pokemon isn't a COD or WWW type game and to trying to link it or compare to it just goes to show the stunt they try to prove a falsehood narrative that they live with.

@Kalmaro

OK, thanks for answering! ^. ^
Well, I can say that with some points I agree, and not so much with others, and here I check them one by one: (I hope not to post too long).

• Challenge: Well, it does not refuse, the games have been facilitated so that everyone can play it without complications, although it is not always so easy.
• Post-game: well, I can not comment here, I have not finished the game, but seeing the previous generations because there has really been a lot of decline, if we see that in Emerald, Platinum and Black 2 White 2, the post game was still more challenges to complete.
• Story: as the previous, I can not say much here, because I have not finished the game, however, because here it is rather subjective, for many reasons here it is rather subjective.
• Rivals: Well, Yes and No, it is true, a very "annoying and rude" rival made you feel the challenge, but if we think that what you are looking for is to promote "a pleasant competitive environment", then you should understand why Rivals are "friendlier" and less "rude."
• All Pokemon: Ok, the main point in all this; Well, As I mentioned in another post, it is true, many of us have taken a favorite Pokemon in this generation and "it hurts", but if we start thinking, we really need more than 1000 Pokemon to catch them all, train them all and really "use them all" in battles: if we see well, not everyone completes the Pokedex and much less, not everyone uses each, each of the Pokemon for battles, whether in the game's history or in the multiplayer, tournaments (the metagame), of course, there are people who do that, but then, we can say here the situation is divided, also, it is not to support game Freak, but really if it would be a whole "matter" programs 1000 creatures for everything : Battles, the Pokemon Camp, etc.
• NPC: Well, yes, if we talk about "forced tutorials" there I understand how annoying it is, but, if we talk about "talking and talking", well, I would say that it is the least one should bother, after all, like a JRPG game, the point is to see what they say around your world, you will interact with them, since many can mention tips that we omit and also, in these games, the important thing is to read, yes, it is not a book, but I mean, here reading is important, it is not an action game in the first place.
• Level Pokemon: Ok, here is as in the first point, that is, it is to facilitate the game, so yes, it does not help if we look for a challenge.

..."I will separate this in 2 parts, my text is very long, sorry"...

continue...

Well, we can really say that there is more to mention, but we will not extend this, now, of the last thing you mention: that each game has been unique, but now, as everything fits for a "casual" public, it is no longer " unique ", well, here I give my point of view:
I clarify first that for me, "casual" and "hardcore" are not pleasant terms to classify the players, that is, they make me exaggerated and ridiculous, but well; It is true that the games have done it for everyone, well, they have always been for everyone, but they are very accessible and easy, well, as I remember, the games have not been characterized as complex, they are games with an interesting history, With a thematic of the simplest and so it has been handled, I would say do not wait for something like Zelda for example; It is true that we have to have more challenge, but that is the opinion of some, others want simplicity, and not because we are "casual", if not, because we do not have the time to dedicate these games to 100% every day, then, it balances The issue.

If we talk about the "Hardcore": the fact that they have removed Pokemon and attacks does not mean that the game has been lost, but that the rules were changed, the same game, new tactics and if we analyze it well, that has been in each generation, even in 2, when 2 new types were added, some attacks changed type; in generation 3, the skills were added; In the 4th generation the physical and special attacks were adjusted to the form of the attack and not of the type and thus could continue adding the changes that have been and have affected the games, despite the fact that the game is the same.

At the end of the day, if we analyze everything well, the games have been like this forever, and in each new generation, the new thing that is added affects everything, making it simpler and at the same time, more complex, but the point is, that important is to have fun with the game, it is true that many of us do not like it and we will not like the changes (positive and negative) that occur and we have the right to express our disgust, but simply, without "angering" those who like.

Ok, Sorry for my long post, and again, thanks for answer.

@SakuraHaruka It's prefect fine, thanks for taking the time to reply.

I think my biggest problem is that they aren't taking the steps to embraces the "casual" and "hardcore" gamers.

They say they are in interviews and ads but if you look at what they are doing, it's clear that they are favoring more casual play.

All I ask is for:

1) Options to make the game harder, like a difficulty that removes stuff like forced exp share, exp when catching pokemon, npcs healing you, stuff like that

2) All the Pokémon to be included in the main game. From there, you can fix the game balance by removing the 400+ Pokémon from competitive play. That way, you can play with your furret by if you want to get serious and play competitive, you have to play someone else.

That's all I ask. I wouldn't mind a better list game or story either.

Oh!!!
Microsoft's first ever million seller in Japan, and it's not XBox but on Switch!
Anyway, Congrats!

However..
Minecraft sells 1,003,160 in a couple of years.
Pokémon sells 1,364,544 in a couple of days.

@westman98
X/Y and Sun/Moon sold 2.1 and 1.9 million retail copies at launch in Japan, so there has obviously been a considerable decline in physical sales for Pokemon

Pokémon Sword and Shield sold 2 million copies in Japan in 3 days accounting for digital (previous entries on 3DS had minuscule digital market share, but Switch has seen an enormous leap)

Pokemon Sword and Shield Sell 2 Million Copies In Japan in 3 Days

Furthermore, it did so with 50% higher price, lower install base, and an active campaign against it.

@JaxonH
Pokemon retail sales have undeniably declined by a lot, but digital sales have more than made up for it. The actual digital sales for Sword/Shield were far higher than even my most optimistic predictions.

It's crazy how we went from Sun/Moon selling <50,000 digital copies at launch to Sword/Shield selling ~635,000 digital copies at launch in Japan - a 12X increase over the course of just 3 years.

Pokeman is always a seller for Nintendo. And we have alot of Pokemon haters that just hate a successful franchise.

@westman98
Digital sales on Nintendo platforms this generation have shot through the roof...

I think this can be attributed to

A the culture- the new generation grew up in a digital world
B more awareness of digital storefronts
C promotions such as 5% back in gold coins and vouchers
D portable nature of Switch lends well to a digital library
E forced acceptance of digital as a large % of releases have been digital only or required large downloads
F required space due to point E results in having an SD with space, which removes a major barrier to buying digitally
F cheaper universal storage than ever before