'Pokémon Legends: Arceus' Becomes Japan's Second Fastest Selling Switch Game Ever

Nintendo have been doing phenomenally well of late and Pokémon Legends: Arceus is absolute proof of that. Even before the game released reviews came in exceptionally strong landing it an average of 84 on ratings aggregate, metacritic. In our review, James Daly called the latest in the pocket monster collecting franchise "excellent" and "the evolution fans have waited for".

This early onslaught of praise from critics has turned into outstanding sales figures. In the UK, it had one of the best launches for the Pokémon series as a whole, giving it the fourth best launch for the franchise. This could seem lack luster, but as Pokémon usually releases as a pair, as a single version game it actually far outsold the competition.

If you're enjoying catching them all, check out our video of the best Pokemon Legends Arceus wins and fails.

Now it appears that the explorative take on the beastie battler has proven to not only sell well for a Pokémon game but also has done exceptionally for a Switch game. According to Famitsu, Pokemon Legends: Arceus has had the second best launch of any Switch game in Japan coming only second to Animal Crossing: New Horizons.

In its first week Pokémon sold over 1.4million copies compared to Animal Crossing's nearly 1.9million. The next best seller is another Pokémon title, last year's Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl,  which sold just 30,000 less than the latest venture, though admittedly as a duo.

As translated by GAMINGbible:

"The latest entry in the Pokémon series, Pokémon Legends: Arceus, has sold 1.42million copies in the three days since release. The first action RPG in the franchise, it was a hot topic of conversation even before release, as it destroyed our image of the Pokémon series, incorporating new challenges and putting time and weather stipulations on battles. It is the second best selling Nintendo Switch title in the first week of launch after Animal Crossing: New Horizons."

Animal Crossing is the second best selling Nintendo Switch title globally, selling almost 40million copies, and coming second only to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe which came out three years prior. Three Pokémon titles make it into the Switch's top ten including the gen 4 remakes despite their recent release. I'm sure Nintendo are hoping that Arceus will soon top the charts.

Topics: Pokemon, Nintendo, Nintendo Switch