Just yesterday, the initial sales numbers were in, for [GAME=/game/pok-mon-sword.37382]Pokémon Sword[/GAME] and [GAME=/game/pok-mon-shield.115653]Pokémon Shield[/GAME] showing that the pair had sold 1.3 million copies in their first three days of launch in Japan. While those numbers alone already broke a sales record for the best opening week for a game on the Nintendo Switch, Sword and Shield aren't done yet. The Pokemon Company has announced that in the United States, over 2 million copies were sold during the weekend, marking the highest-grossing launch of any Pokemon game. As of today, Sword and Shield have sold 6 million units worldwide, with the massive sales figure taking both physical and digital sales into account. This puts the eighth generation of Pokemon games ahead of 2013's Pokemon X and Y, which sold four million copies in its first week, and just a bit below Sun and Moon's highly successful launch week sales of 7.2 million.

Source (USA)
Source (JP)

Tags: [GAME=/game/pok-mon-sword.37382]Pokémon Sword[/GAME], [GAME=/game/pok-mon-shield.115653]Pokémon Shield[/GAME], [PLATFORM=/platform/switch]Nintendo Switch[/PLATFORM], [COMPANY=/company/nintendo]Nintendo[/COMPANY]

 

[phillyrider807]

Nice, this is pretty good considered all the needless bashing the game is receiving lately.

This isn't good at all. This means that Gamefreak 100% knows they can half ass this series and it means nothing. This was a breaking point in the series. There will never be another pokemon game again with all the pokemon in it because the fanbase just proved that they don't care.

All this means is Gamefreak will continue to pump out yearly releases with no evolution of the series and continue to make millions from a fanbase that doesn't seem to want or care about the quality of this series.

 

[digipimp75]

So after all the "Pokemanbabies" crying and bitching, they still bought the game. Awesome.

 

[Glitchk0ud1001]

So they practically give a Pokemon game for modding,Also NO! I still don't want buy this game.

 

[guisadop]

Not unexpected, sadly

 

[James_]

Once again, I'm not really that surprised.

Game Freak better fix their shit up soon though.

 

[MiguelinCrafter]

damn, those poketards really like to suck gamefreak's dick

 

[Nollog]

The real test will be the next game.

I know I'm not buying it, so that. 5.99999999 million instead of 6 already.

 

[Pipistrele]

damn, those poketards really like to suck gamefreak's dick

So far, the only thing I see is a bunch of vocal fans collectivelly jerking each other for several months in a row over being upset about a single videogame. Pot kettle black, more or less.

--------------------- MERGED ---------------------------

YOU don't care about national dex, and seeing the outrage online, you are one of the few and are part of the problem.

Already commented in length on the whole "part of the problem" argument, but Ian from CUPodcast expressed my opinion on the matter in such a perfect way that I couldn't deliver it with words if I wanted to =)

(rewind to 14:10)

 

[Deleted User]

Called it.

I knew the nontroversies wouldn't slow down the sale of the first real switch Pokemon and it is a pretty good game in itself. Give GTS tho.



^ The sore loser approach to being wrong about how successful SwSh would be.

Sore over a children's equivalent of call of duty,with less content than the previous game.Boy,I must be aching all over.My point was that people will praise the game anyway early on since they spent 60$ on it,and then change there minds once the game ages out after a few months.Success financialy doesnt protect the games from criticism.

 

[FAST6191]

Going with the assumption that it is a sub par effort (not that it has changed much in the past -- Pokemon S&M was probably not all that radically different to pokemon Red) I am curious to see what kind of demographics are buying this game.

This is the first mega popular piece of Nintendo hardware with a mainline pokemon title since the DS (the Wii did not have anything of great note here after all) so quite a few years at this point (2012 for Black 2 and those were late stage and somewhat ignored) so as well as the usual suspects for such things you probably have a nice line in people introducing games from their childhood to their kids (12 year olds in 1998 are now somewhat into their 30s), those looking for something (anything) for their Switch as it has been a bit of a desert (maybe not Wii or Wii U levels but still not great), the would be boycotters (I still find Valves anti Left 4 Dead 2 thing hilarious here) that abandoned principles and probably some others I am overlooking.

Doubt I will ever know but something I am pondering never the less.

 

[MiguelinCrafter]

So far, the only thing I see is a bunch of vocal fans collectivelly jerking each other for several months in a row over being upset about a single videogame. Pot kettle black, more or less.

sorry bro but you must be blind if that's all you see

really? the nes punk? the dick suckening just keeps going

 

[Pipistrele]

Going with the assumption that it is a sub par effort (not that it has changed much in the past -- Pokemon S&M was probably not all that radically different to pokemon Red) I am curious to see what kind of demographics are buying this game.

This is the first mega popular piece of Nintendo hardware with a mainline pokemon title since the DS (the Wii did not have anything of great note here after all) so quite a few years at this point (2012 for Black 2 and those were late stage and somewhat ignored) so as well as the usual suspects for such things you probably have a nice line in people introducing games from their childhood to their kids (12 year olds in 1998 are now somewhat into their 30s), those looking for something (anything) for their Switch as it has been a bit of a desert (maybe not Wii or Wii U levels but still not great), the would be boycotters (I still find Valves anti Left 4 Dead 2 thing hilarious here) that abandoned principles and probably some others I am overlooking.

Doubt I will ever know but something I am pondering never the less.

I think the answer is as simple as "people who want a new pokemon game with active online community and don't mind looking past its shortcomings", really. Also, those who enjoy the series for some of its more casual aspects - considering how much SnS improved on little things like cooking or playing with your pokemon, that's something that can appeal to children and invested players alike.

In many regards, I don't even find it that subpar of a game, at least in the eyes of those who approached it with realistic expectations and specific things in mind. There's one common line through many positive reviews - that players just bought it out of stuff like "It's a pokemon game that has <x>, <y> and <z> I may enjoy", and the game delivered to them on all three, which in a way makes it hard to call the game "objectively" bad. Similar with negative criticism, which more often reads less like "This game is bad" and more like "This game doesn't have <n> things I like" - which is also perfectly valid (at least as long as people don't put responsibility for their disappointment on those who enjoy it, like many folks seem to do in the thread). At least that's my takeaway from it.

--------------------- MERGED ---------------------------

The dick suckening just keeps going

Stop sucking your own dick then, and the problem will resolve itself x)

 

[Ev1l0rd]

Something something Streisand effect.

SwShs promotion was probably massively amplified due to the dexit drama.

I'm not cynical enough to say it's intentional on Game Freaks end, but it probably boosted attention for the game a lot.

 

[zoogie]

Half the Pokemon, twice the money.
Pokemon fans are loyal troopers.

And when the inevitable 3rd version drops with the other half of Pokemon, they'll be there to scoop it up and break new sales records again!

 

[YukidaruPunch]

So far, the only thing I see is a bunch of vocal fans collectivelly jerking each other for several months in a row over being upset about a single videogame. Pot kettle black, more or less.

Most people on the industry already know that every vocal minority calling boycott is mostly that: a vocal minority. Negative people on the internet tend to be loud and obnoxious to what they perceive to be a problem - honestly, people in real life are like that, too.

For every grown-ass adult crying wolf about how they won't buy a game because there are not enough virtual monsters there are hundreds of people who simply don't care. They just wanna play their Pokémon game and have some fun.

Many devs actually steer away from internet discourse because they know it does not resemble real life and it takes a toll on their mental health. It's not sane.

 

[ChibiMofo]

Hey, you sellout to a grossly underpowered piece of hardware because it has some gimmick, you get under-performing games.

Jealous of the Switch's success much or are you just late to the Wii-bashing?

--------------------- MERGED ---------------------------

Proof positive that stupid people make my life worse with their purchasing decisions.

Or maybe that you're the one who has lost touch with reality.

 

[MikaDubbz]

I kinda wonder if maybe part of the reason for not having the full pokedex available here is to ease us into a fundamental change for the entire series in the next entries. The most obvious idea here to me would be that maybe the next Pokemon titles are real time fights and not turn-based. If that were the path they chose to go, then there would be a lot of Pokemon to program movement and further fight animations too. And understandably in that case, not all nearly 1000 creatures would be able to make the cut, as that would be unfathomable. And if the next titles are Diamond and Pearl remakes, it would make sense that they'd feel more free to take such a drastic turn for the series. It wouldn't make the choice to not include them all here any less alarming, but it would take away from the blow-back that the next game would have by not having every Pokemon in addition to such a fundamental game change (because you know as it is, that while there are many fans that want to see fights go real-time that many fans would be upset by the change away from turn-based fighting).

 

[Ev1l0rd]

Also, just gonna say Shield is a very fun game and I feel I got my money's worth.

Since uh, the gameplay loop is pretty good. Kinda do wish that when you pick up items it removed the "new" from the bag though, it just adds another step thats not really needed since item descriptions now show up when you pick up an item.

 

[DuoForce]

in its core, its pokemon. Even tho it took many steps down. yes I bitched but aslo having fun...hate myself
They are not going to ptach or add anything. Just going to make Sh/SW 2 and make us pay $60 for *improvements*

Don't worry, modders are gonna fix SwSh

 

[Justinde75]

**Again**

Its Pokemon. People are just going to buy it up just for being Pokemon. The switch is selling like crazy so when people see a new Pokemon being out they buy it without question