Scarlet/Violet: High Sales Despite Mixed Reviews

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet have emerged as some of the top-selling Pokémon games in the franchise's history. According to Joe Merrick, the webmaster of Serebii.net, and as reported by Eurogamer, these two titles have surpassed 25 million copies sold, outstripping every other Pokémon game since the original Pokémon Red/Green/Blue, which sold 31.4 million copies upon its release in 1996 on the Game Boy.

With sales reaching 26,790,000, Scarlet/Violet have just edged out Sword/Shield for second place, the latter having sold 26,720,000 copies. Rounding out the top five are Gold/Silver with 23.7 million copies sold and Diamond/Pearl with 16.7 million copies.

Upon their launch, Scarlet/Violet received mixed reviews, earning them a place among the lowest-rated mainline games in the series. Fans and critics alike pointed out technical issues, performance problems, and numerous bugs. In IGN's Pokémon Scarlet and Violet review, we rated the game a 6/10, noting: "The open-world gameplay of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet is a brilliant direction for the future of the franchise, but this promising shift is sabotaged by the numerous ways in which Scarlet and Violet feel deeply unfinished."

Pokémon Legends: Z-A is slated for release later this year, set in Lumiose City amidst an urban redevelopment plan aimed at creating a harmonious environment for both people and Pokémon. Last October, a leak containing unverified information about several Pokémon games, including Legends Z-A, surfaced online. In response, Nintendo has recently subpoenaed Discord to identify the individual responsible for the "TeraLeak."