With Pokemon being one of Nintendo's most popular franchises, Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield's success was always guaranteed. Few could have predicted just how successful the pair of Pokemon games would turn out to be, however. In Nintendo's recently released financial report, the publisher confirmed Pokemon Sword and Shield's staggering sales totals. The official total of Pokemon Sword and Shield copies shipped is 16.06 million, in less than the two months the two games have been available.
Pokemon Sword and Shield's 16 million copies shipped makes the pair the best selling Pokemon release in a generation. Pokemon Sun and Pokemon Moon fell short of 15 million copies shipped in their first quarter of release. Pokemon X and Pokemon Y fell short of 12 million. At this pace, Pokemon Sword and Shield seem certain to pass the top-selling games of the past 20 years, those being Pokemon Diamond and Pearl which have sold over 17 and a half million.
As successful as Pokemon Sword and Shield clearly are, they still have a way to go before they reach the peak of the Pokemon franchise. Pokemon Red, Pokemon Blue, and Pokemon Green have sold over 31 million lifetime. That's near double Pokemon Sword and Shield's current numbers and is likely unattainable. Pokemon Gold and Pokemon Silver also have Pokemon Sword and Shield beat with over 23 million sold.
Pokemon Sword and Shield's sales may never reach the levels of the first games in the franchise, but that's not necessarily due to the quality of the games or the excitement for them. Those original Pokemon games had a platform that was staggeringly popular a the time. That Pokemon Sword and Switch is as popular as it is compared to the past 20 years of Pokemon games is evidence of just how successful the Nintendo Switch is. Nintendo's latest Switch sales numbers puts it above 52 million units shipped.
Pokemon Sword and Shield weren't the only titled to have a great 2019, however. According to Nintendo's financial report, Pokemon Go also did very well. It did so well that 2019 became Pokemon Go's most successful year overall in terms of revenue. It's likely that the success of Pokemon GOÂ helped grow anticipation for the Nintendo Switch and the two new Pokemon games. It will be interesting to see if that success continues through 2020, as well as what comes next for Pokemon.
Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield are available now exclusively on Nintendo Switch.