Game Freak and The Pokémon Company are absolutely printing money right now. Earlier today we reported that Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl sold nearly 14 million units in under two months. That hot start included 1.396 million sales in Japan in its opening week. As impressive as that figure is, Pokémon Legends: Arceus had even stronger sales in its Japan debut. After just three days on the market, Famitsu reports that Pokémon Legends: Arceus sold 1.425 million copies.
Pokémon Legends: Arceus strong sales in Japan
Pokémon Legends: Arceus makes some major changes to the tried and true Pokémon formula, and it looks like that gamble paid off. With 1.425 million copies sold in Japan, it had the second strongest launch of any Switch game to date. The only game that sold better in its Japanese debut was Animal Crossing: New Horizons, which has gone on to sell over 37 million copies. Legends: Arceus is unlikely to reach those heights, but it’s definitely a smash hit right out of the gate.
It seems likely that Game Freak will want to double down on its success with more Legends games in the future. Additionally, they could incorporate some of the Legends-style gameplay into more standard Gym Badge adventures. The future of Pokémon should be interesting!
