Rockstar pulled off some incredible numbers when it launched Grand Theft Auto V last month, but Nintendo's Pokémon X and Y are clearly the must have game for October.
After a worldwide release just this past weekend (a special release party at its World Store in Manhattan to celebrate the game's launch), Nintendo has announced that the two games together have sold more than 4 million copies across the globe within two days of their release, according to internal estimates.
"The early response to Pokémon X and Pokémon Y not only reaffirms the ongoing passion of Pokémon fans, but also indicates that an entirely new generation of gamers are eager to experience the franchise for themselves," said Nintendo President Satoru Iwata in a recent press release.
The seven figure sales number makes Pokémon X and Y "the fastest-selling Nintendo 3DS title" of the console's short but sweet 2 year history, as well as one the most popular Pokémon games of all time, outselling both Pokémon Black 2 and Pokémon White 2 by over 70 percent.
It looks as though as a set, X and Y could be well on track to be yet another Pokemon pair of games to cross over the ten million mark. Past games to have done so since 2002 include:
Since 2002, five sets of Pokémon titles have combined to exceed 10 million units sold worldwide, with three sets combining to surpass 15 million units. That list includes:
- Pokémon Diamond and Pokémon Pearl, sold 17.63 million on the Nintendo DS
- Pokémon Ruby and Pokémon Sapphire, sold 16.22 million on the Game Boy Advance
- Pokémon Black and Pokémon White, sold 15.42 million on the DS
- Pokémon HeartGold and Pokémon SoulSilver, sold 12.67 million on the DS
- Pokémon FireRed and Pokémon LeafGreen, sold 12 million on the GameBoy Advance
"With more than 245 million games sold worldwide, Pokémon continues to be one of the strongest brands in the history of videogames." Don't be surprised if that number climbs, either. Two of the biggest shopping days in the world are fast approaching - Black Friday and Christmas. Coupled with rave reviews, and the fact that these new Pokémon games are playable on a newly introduced, cheaper handheld, the 2DS, I would expect Nintendo to announce an even higher number in the coming months.
Now, if the company could just do something for the languishing Wii U...
