Nintendo announced the monstrous sales numbers via an official press release (in Japanese). More than 10 million combined, which includes boxed and digital downloads, units were in the first three days after launch. This makes Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet the fastest-selling software title on any Nintendo platform within the first three days. More than 4 million of those sales came from Japan alone. “This is the highest number ever for global and domestic sales in the first three days after the release of software for all Nintendo game consoles, including Nintendo Switch”, the translated press release reads. This means that not only Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet experienced the biggest Pokemon launch ever, but the release also was the biggest Nintendo launch in history. As a matter of fact, this is the biggest exclusive launch on any platform to date. Impressive, to say the least. Despite some technical issues, the game is clearly loved among the Pokemon community, and we’re really interested to see how sales of these new titles will evolve during the holiday season. Want to know more about Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet? Be sure to check out our everything you need to know page. For the most part, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet’s battles will still be familiar turn-based affairs. That said, you will now encounter some Pokémon that have been “Terastallized,” giving them a shiny crystal-like shell and enhanced abilities. You can also Terastallize your own critters with a special orb. This orb only has a single change, allowing you to Terastallize just one of your party during a battle, but you can recharge it at any Pokémon center. In addition to simply giving them more power, you’ll discover Terastallizing some Pokémon will temporarily change their type, giving you more versatility in battle. The other big change to battling in Scarlet and Violet is that… you don’t have to if you don’t want to. You can set one of your Pokémon to fight wild Pokémon passively, allowing you to explore freely and collect XP without having to worry about constant battles. Similarly, battles with other trainers won’t be forced on you anymore – only you can initiate them.
