Pokemon Scarlet And Violet Have Outsold Splatoon 3 In Japan

Japan is one of the centers of the gaming world due to its consumer demand. Many of the biggest entities in the industry like Square Enix, Konami, Sony, and Capcom hail from there. But arguably the most popular is Nintendo, whose most recent title Pokemon Scarlet and Violet has been a mega-hit in its home base. 

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet have broken several franchise records after its release, both in Japan and worldwide. And, it is showing no signs of stopping according to the recent Japanese sales charts. The Nintendo phenomenon has already sold more copies at retail than the cultural sensation Splatoon 3 in Japan.

Major Takeaways

• Pokemon Scarlet and Violet have outsold Splatoon 3’s lifetime retail numbers in Japan.
• The new Pokemon games did overtake the Japanese phenomenon in total sales earlier, but now even its retail number is higher.
• Scarlet/Violet is nearing 6 million total sales in Japan and may beat Pokemon Black and White by next year.

Sales aggregator Pierre485 on Twitter shared these charts and their sales for the week ending December 11. Pokemon Scarlet and Violet have been ruling Japan without any hurdle every week since their release. And, it is no different this week as the Nintendo title tops the charts again.

In the week lasting December 5 to December 11, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet sold 277k copies in Japan. To be exact, it was 277, 676 units but we all love rounded-off numbers don’t we? Sales from this week bring the total since release to a whopping 3.7 million units at retail only.

🇯🇵 Japan Charts | Week 49, 2022 (Dec 5 – Dec 11) pic.twitter.com/CzPt1B2WTX

— Pierre485 (@pierre485_) December 15, 2022

This total is more than Splatoon 3’s entire run at retail in Japan since its release in September. Nintendo’s other successful game has sold 3.497 million units at retail as of now, which means Scarlet/Violet is only 200k units ahead. Splatoon 3 also charts in this week’s chart at No.3, but its 51k units are no comparison for Pokemon. 

Now, it’s worth noting that Scarlet/Violet already beat Splatoon 3 in overall sales, but now it’s also overtaken the game in retail.

Keeping in mind that the game only came out on November 18, just 29 days ago, this is a huge achievement. Pokemon Scarlet and Violet previously got to the 2 million mark in Japan almost immediately after its release. 

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet did see a 10% decrease in sales this week, but this drop in pace isn’t a big deal. Splatoon 3 on the other hand got a massive 32% boost from last weekend. This might be due to Nintendo Switch selling like hotcakes in Japan right now.

[Hardware] Week 49, 2022
• Supplies issues for : PS5, XBS, NSW
• Discontinued : 3DS, PS4 pic.twitter.com/uqUaOUpQUI

— Pierre485 (@pierre485_) December 15, 2022

PlayStation 5 again got beat by the Nintendo handheld this week in Japan. It sold 158k units which was a slight increase from last week and beat PlayStation 5’s 18k with relative ease. Hence it seems like the sales of Pokemon Scarlet and Violet have also given its parent console acceleration. 

The actual sales of the game in Japan are actually much higher according to Pierre485. If you are confused, this chart doesn’t account for digital sales, only retail. So, when you count them, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet might have sold more than 6 million units. 

Considering how the game sold 4 million in Japan, retail and digital combined in 3 days, these numbers do add up. Beating Splatoon 3 is no easy task for any game in Japan as it’s the equivalent of Star Wars over there in cultural terms. Heck, they have snacks, mugs, and every accessory based on the game in Japan.

Pokemon S/V exceed Splatoon 3 total numbers this week with an excellent drop. Should be above 6m units sold now and counting…
At retail, the game is actually catching up Pokemon B/W and might exceed it by early next year, this is massive. https://t.co/8YXoh007Ir

— Pierre485 (@pierre485_) December 15, 2022

Pokemon is Pokemon, however, and putting up such numbers is just another day at the office for the franchise. Beating Splatoon 3 at retail is just another feather in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet’s cap, and the game could have another one soon. It might beat the lifetime sales of Pokemon Black and White by early next year in Japan.

According to Pierre, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet already catching up to one of the best-selling Pokemon games of all time. Outselling such commercial phenomena so early on is an insane milestone. The way it’s looking, Scarlet/Violet is going to continue achieving such milestones during its lifetime.