Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are now available and mark the breaking of a record for the Pokemon franchise. The games are the beginning of Generation 9 and introduce the trio of starters Sprigatito, Fuecoco, and Quaxly, and new features such as the powerful phenomenon of Terastallization.

In Pokemon Scarlet and Violet players will venture through Paldea, the new region that appears to be based on the Iberian Peninsula. The game is an open-world game with connected areas that can be visited by players in any order. The player character is a student at Naranja Academy (Pokemon Scarlet)/Uva Academy (Pokemon Violet) in the city of Mesagoza, this being one of several new features of the new Pokemon games that were already making success since before the release.

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According to reports from the Japanese outlet Oricon, Pokemon Company Chief Operating Officer Takato Utsunomiya announced that Pokemon Scarlet and Violet had more pre-orders than any other title in the series. While Utsunomiya did not specify how many pre-orders the game received, this is good news for fans of the franchise who may have been divided by the reviews of Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. Utsunomiya further noted that 440 million units of Pokemon-related games have been sold since the release of Pokemon Red and Green in Japan.

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet box art

The Pokemon Company's chief operating officer also told Oricon in an interview that gameplay time in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet can be as long as 60 hours for players who are new to the franchise. The number is a bit longer than the standard Pokemon adventure, however, there is no shortage of new content to explore. Players will have three main storylines, new gym leaders to face, and new monsters to meet like Lechonk who is now a Twitch emote.

Even after decades, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet show that the Pokemon franchise is still popular and beloved by many. Although The Pokemon Company is a frequent target of criticism, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's record shows that at the end of the day, the franchise still has a reserved space in the hearts of fans. Reasons abound, such as the mix of present and past, with Pokemon Scarlet and Violet bringing in new characters and keeping familiar names like some of Johto's best Pokemon. This way both new players and veteran players have something to be interested in.

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are available now for Nintendo Switch.

MORE: Why Sprigatito is The Best Pokemon Scarlet and Violet Starter

Source: Oricon, GamesRadar