"Biggest exclusive launch of all time": Pokemon Scarlet and Violet smash records by selling 10m+ units in 3 days 

The latest Pokemon titles are a hit (Image via Pokemon Scarlet and Violet)
The latest Pokemon titles are a hit (Image via Pokemon Scarlet and Violet)

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet games marked the beginning of Generation 9 in the popular franchise's mainline series. The RPGs introduce new mechanics to the large open world of Paldea, filled with new and old faces. The efforts of the developers have paid dividends. The latest titles have recorded over-the-top sales numbers, with more than 10 million units sold.

Nintendo recently announced, shattering previously held records across platforms and consoles. It should be noted that the games have simultaneously been criticized for their poor performance and negative player experience. The graphics have been a consistently sore point for the community.

Nevertheless, these sales figures are an achievement worth acknowledging. With these numbers, Nintendo has quashed any concerns about its market impact.


Pokemon Scarlet and Violet have taken the community by storm

Nintendo's announcement was exuberant about the first three days of post-launch. The two games were released on November 18. The report also mentioned that more than four million units were sold in Japan.

The announcement points out (original page translated by Google):

"This is the highest number of units sold globally and domestically in the first three days after the launch of all Nintendo dedicated game console software, including the Nintendo Switch."

Furthermore, on Twitter, Benji-Sales (@BenjiSales) noted that Pokemon Scarlet and Violet broke the records for being the biggest Pokemon, Switch, Nintendo, and console-exclusive titles of all time. He mentioned that:

"There has never been a game, ever, released for any platform as an exclusive that has sold more than this.We are literally looking at the Biggest Exclusive Launch of all time. Insanity."

Commentators under the main tweet lamented that highly successful sales may lead Game Freak and The Pokemon Company to become complacent about bettering the game. Given the number of issues that plague the titles, fans are worried their concerns will fall on deaf ears. Some are terrified that developers might not release a patch to fix the existing bugs anytime soon.

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet have tested players' patience, from abrupt framerate drops to visual bugs and glitches. Almost a week into the launch, social media is replete with the Pokemon community sharing clips from their gameplay and venting their frustration at the unpolished and unoptimized state of the titles.

The large volume of units sold should imply that the games generate massive community interest. One can only hope that developers take note.

Be it the open world, new gameplay mechanics like an auto-battle, the NPCs, or the new Pokemon, for many Pokemon Scarlet and Violet mark a significant step in the evolution of the entire series. Sportskeeda's review of the titles noted, "it is far and away the best story Pokemon has ever told."

With the holiday season looming ahead, one can rest assured that Pokemon Scarlet and Violet will likely rake up some staggering numbers in units sold. Fans can only wish that it wasn't riddled with performance issues and hope that Game Freak will not make similar mistakes.