Pokemon Scarlet and Violet pre-orders have broken one small record in Japan, which could indicate a wave of success for the upcoming RPG. Nintendo and Game Freak have rapidly released new Pokemon games on the Nintendo Switch in recent years. The popularity of those releases is undeniable, with Pokemon Sword and Shield selling more than any iteration but Pokemon Red, Green, Blue, and Yellow. Pokemon Scarlet and Violet could be even more popular, though.
The release for Pokemon Scarlet and Violet is in under two weeks. It will be a Nintendo Switch exclusive release, and like previous Pokemon releases, it is being sold as two individual games as well as a two-game bundle. As such, totaling up the game's pre-orders requires adding these three separate packages together. Of course, pre-order information is rarely shared publicly, but there is one retailer in Japan named COMG! that does share.
As shared by Twitter user @Pierre484, pre-orders for Pokemon Scarlet and Violet at COMG! continue to increase week to week. According to their analysis, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet have "surpassed the first 3-day of sales made by any Pokemon game on Switch with only pre-orders." The latest numbers confirm 432 preorders for Pokemon Violet, 406 preorders for Pokemon Scarlet, and 194 Pokemon Scarlet and Violet double pack preorders, counting for 388 additional copies. That's 1208 pre-orders total. In other words, just based on pre-order information alone, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet will be the most successful Pokemon Switch launch yet.
Pierre485 also provided a comparison to other successful Switch exclusive releases at COMG! that aren't in the Pokemon franchise. Pokemon Scarlet and Violet have 1,208 pre-orders 14 days before release. The next highest Switch pre-orders were for Monster Hunter Rise, which was at 797. Below them were Super Smash Bros. Ultimate with 641, Splatoon 3 with 497, and Animal Crossing: New Horizons with 434. Suffice it to say, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are performing very highly.
This is, it deserves to be repeated, just one retailer in Japan, and is not necessarily representative of any larger trends. Pierre485 says that COMG! has just .1% marketshare. However, they do say that the retailer is generally comparable to the larger market overall. At least in Japan, it's probably safe to assume Pokemon Scarlet and Violet could be the most successful Switch release yet.
It's perhaps no surprise to hear that Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are doing very well in pre-orders. This is a main series Pokemon game release, which is popular by nature. It's also coming out when Switch players are hungry for a big new first-party exclusive during a surprisingly light holiday season. The conditions are ripe for a major Pokemon hit.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet release November 18 on Switch.