Pokémon Sword and Shield are fastest selling Switch games ever

Pokémon Sword/Shield screenshot — Pokémon Sword/Shield – it turns out Dexit doesn’t matter (pic: The Pokémon Company)

That figure includes both digital and physical sales and is twice what Pokémon: Let’s Go sold at the same time last year.

It’s also 1 million more than previous record holder Super Smash Bros. Ultimate from last Christmas.

The disparity with Pokémon: Let’s Go is interesting though, because while it wasn’t a mainline entry it was a remake of one and apart from the method of catching pokémon, not really all that different from Pokémon Sword and Shield.

Pokémon Sword and Shield is currently number one in the UK, where it’s already become the fastest-selling exclusive of the year and the third fastest of any game – behind only the FIFA and Call Of Duty.

It’s also number one in Japan – where it’s sold 2 million copies, a third of which were digital – and is also almost certainly number one in the US at the moment, but those charts only get released monthly.

It is not, however, the fastest-selling Pokémon game ever, but has had to take second place to Pokémon Sun and Moon on the 3DS, which sold 7.2 million copies in its first week.

But then the 3DS is a cheaper console and Sun and Moon came out right as the initial Pokémon GO craze was at its peak.

The PR also notes.

1. This is the record opening for a Switch title globally, beating Smash Ultimate’s record of 5m.

2. The game has sold 2 million units in Japan in its first week.

For reference- X&Y sold 4m globally in its first week. pic.twitter.com/vNloYs4kdP

— Daniel Ahmad (@ZhugeEX) November 21, 2019