Famitsu's Japanese chart figures are now in for the week ending 21st November, revealing that Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl have absolutely destroyed the competition with a cracking opening weekend.
As was actually revealed early this morning, the games managed to sell a combined total of 1,395,642 physical copies in their first three days on sale. That figure includes standard retail copies and download card purchases but doesn't include any purchases made via the eShop, meaning that the real sales total will of course be even higher.
The incredible start means that Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl have actually become Switch's second-biggest launch to date in Japan, with only Animal Crossing: New Horizons selling better on its opening weekend.
The rest of the top ten is mostly made up of other Switch titles, although EA's newly released Battlefield 2042 entered the chart on both PS4 and PS5.
Here are the top ten (first numbers are this week's estimated sales, followed by total sales):
- [NSW] Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl (The Pokémon Company, 11/19/21) – 1,395,642 (New)
- [NSW] Mario Party Superstars (Nintendo, 10/29/21) – 39,797 (329,497)
- [PS4] Battlefield 2042 (Electronic Art, 11/19/21) – 25,268 (New)
- [NSW] Shin Megami Tensei V (Atlus, 11/11/21) – 22,513 (165,760)
- [PS5] Battlefield 2042 (Electronic Art, 11/19/21) – 21,637 (New)
- [NSW] Ring Fit Adventure (Nintendo, 10/18/19) – 11,822 (2,920,975)
- [NSW] Animal Crossing: New Horizons (Nintendo, 03/20/20) – 11,149 (6,945,689)
- [NSW] Minecraft (Microsoft, 06/21/18) – 10,084 (2,279,676)
- [NSW] Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (Nintendo, 04/28/17) – 9,890 (4,142,150)
- [NSW] Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (Nintendo, 12/07/18) – 8,621 (4,506,739)
The Switch itself also had a fantastic week, no doubt helped by a surge of Pokémon fans picking up a new system alongside the remakes. The OLED saw a particular boost, but all three members of the Switch family sold particularly well this week. Here are this week's figures, followed by lifetime sales in brackets:
- Switch OLED Model – 68,796 (377,001)
- Switch – 60,512 (17,454,460)
- Switch Lite – 38,470 (4,195,309)
- PlayStation 5 – 4,134 (988,400)
- Xbox Series X – 2,203 (69,919)
- Xbox Series S – 1,219 (52,218)
- New 2DS LL (including 2DS) – 365 (1,177,353)
- PlayStation 4 – 188 (7,818,813)
- PlayStation 5 Digital Edition – 173 (188,845)
Any surprises this week? Let us know in the comments.
[source famitsu.com, via gematsu.com]
Comments 91
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Well, that's depressing.
Looking forward to playing this come Christmas
Incredible. My son will be playing this for the first time at Christmas and I’m sure he’ll love it.
I really like the throwback quality of BDSP. I only wish that they'd remade Platinum and that the game(s) were created using the Let's Go aesthetic.
PS5 4000 units? What's going on there...that's awful
And new Mario Party coming in second, chef kiss...
@Nourldean almost no games this year except for a bit of stuff that appeals to the western audience.
I'm actually enjoying Brilliant Diamond more than I've enjoyed a Pokemon game in a long time. It's a proper old school Pokemon adventure.
@thiz- replied because some people want to see Pokemon fail like a sports team riding high and also 💯 percent right, I liked your comment!
Personally, this disappoints me. I want remakes to innovate upon the originals, but if this approach gets higher sales with lower budget, its what we're going to see more of going forward.
Never really gave the DS original a chance, but I relly dig this remake so far and find it more entertaining than Sword and Shield. It’s not perfect, but it has that classic Pokémon feel I remember from playing Red/Blue/Yellow/Gold/Silver as a child. I think the DS originals came out at a time when my interest in Pokémon had dropped, and even though I played it, I never really got into it. So I’m glad I got another chance on the Switch.
Does this mean we will get more Pokemon games and remakes in this cheap and horrific art style?
@CupidStunt Pokemon gets lazier every generation because the fans are willing to buy anything. I never finished x and y and I haven't gone back since. Doubt I ever will.
Awesome! Such is the Power of Pokémon!
Good to see that Shin Megami Tensei V and Mario Party Superstars remain strong.
I hope the studio that worked on those remakes get a good share of those sales
A bit off topic, but the subtitle is very funny, in a cosmic sort of way.
@thiz- So anybody that doesn't have your opinion is a hater? "My view or you're wrong!" Nice way of seeing the world.
And just so you know, I'm playing Brilliant Diamond and enjoying it more than Sword and Shield, but that doesn't make my point of view the only one valid.
@Munchlax Amen. This is the big problem here. I know people had some issues with the remakes in the past, but they were much higher quality than this before. They were always made to stylistically match the current generation and had some nifty new features added onto them. (DexNav or whatever it was called from OR/AS was fantastic) In fact... OR/AS were a complete reversal from R/S for me, I disliked R/S but greatly enjoyed OR/AS.
But BD/SP... They look like 3DS games. They were obviously outsourced to be made in a quick, cheap fashion. This is not the Pokemon remake series I had come to love. And this making so much money puts me into complete despair, as now it looks like the remake series could follow this path. I hate it when companies get rewarded for such poor products.
Who knows, we could be surprised. GF obviously had no reason to innovate and give us Pokemon Legends: Arceus. Nintendo had no reason to make Super Mario Odyssey and bring back the original 3D Mario style when the Galaxy series had such a high reception and sales. I hope that the Pokemon remakes follow this trend and return to their former glory, but it's sad because either way, this is the treatment D/P got. It deserved better.
@thiz-,
Once again the core minorities showing how out of touch they are, when it comes to the mass buying Pokemon fans requirements.
Awesome sales of both the games and Switch consoles.
Imagine giving the game a 6/10 and still posting affiliate links to retailers in your articles. Classic.
NintendoLife: "We think the game is mediocre but you should still buy it anyway to support The Pokemon Company's laziness and give us money too".
@thiz- "Eat it haters" yet NintendoLife gave it 6/10 ... really?
Let's be realistic here ok?
Why does sales equate to quality according to some commenters here? Cyberpunk 2077, the GTA Trilogy and every FIFA game sells millions and we all know how these turned out.
I hope a new generation of children get to enjoy Pokemon and that the veteran players don't get too salty whilst they wait for Legends. Incredible hardware sales. The power of Pokemon!
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@Mauzuri So for you NintendoLife are haters since they are "one of the few" that gave such a low score?
@thiz- the funny thing is that YOU think they made a mistake I don't think that. Have fun
Incredible games, and they deserve all the success in the world. Bravo to the developers for another roaring achievement. Just beat my copy of Pearl and headed into Diamond territory this weekend. These games are making major bank and laying out the future of the franchise. Fantastic graphics that harken back to the originals, addictive gameplay, and a storyline my kids are adoring. Pokemon dominates this holiday season with a tremendous product that lovingly restores its roots. You can tell these are true Pokemon fans who worked on these remakes.
EAT EEVEE’S BUTT, HATERS
I HAVEN’T ACTUALLY PLAYED THESE GAMES AND I AM IN NO POSITION TO REMARK ON THEIR QUALITY, BUT IF YOU GET THE CHANCE I RECOMMEND YOU TRY THIS DOUGHNUT BECAUSE IT ACTUALLY TASTES QUITE NICE.
What most people play a Pokémon game >>>>>>> what dozens of hardcores play a Pokémon for
@MajorTom To be fair, a fair chunk of Cyberpunks' sales were pre-orders. I doubt it sold that well after release given it was removed from PSN and loads of folk were demanding refunds.
@dmcc0 These also are first week sales, so most of these sales are day one or pre-orders. The GTA Trilogy also still is on the 3rd place (right after the two Pokémon versions) in the eShop charts of Europe while that game also is known for all its game breaking bugs and refund requests.
@CupidStunt
I love this art style. I wish they'd lean further into it and go with a more toy aesthetic like Link's Awakening
Switch OLED model sales could have still been better, but given the circumstances, it's the best anyone could have hoped for.
Meanwhile, PS5 once again saw its lowest week of hardware sales, dipping below the previous week's record low hardware numbers. Xbox Series was dangerously close to outselling PS5.
At this point, I'm inclined to think hate campaigns somehow end up making these games more successful, not less. Although it was always going to be successful. It's Pokemon. C'mon. Most people don't know or care about "missing Platinum content."
@westman98 The Series S actually outsold PS5 digital. I wonder how much of that is just supply issues, though.
@MajorTom
Unlike Cyberpunk, Pokemon will actually have legs, thanks in no small part to the fact that it won't get pulled from the eShop 😂
@Ralizah
The Series S has outsold the PS5 digital quite often.
I have been staying quiet but...
@thiz- Imagine thinking that they "made a mistake" simply because they were more critical (and they weren't the only ones by the way) and giving it a slightly lower score that some sites. Also imagine thinking that fans that haven't been satisfied with the series are all haters. Personally, I think that many of you (on both sides) go to extremes but that many of us are on a middle point. In my case I love Pokemon, and I have said in the past that the core gameplay is so good that it pretty much guarantees good games to a certain degree, but I do think that their last entries have been mediocre on many aspects. I think that it's valid if you think that these entries deserve more praise, but it's a shame that you are taking the "fanboy approach" with that comment.
To everyone:
It's hilarious that people think that a few
more critical reviews prove that the game is fantastic or something. It's pretty well known that the backlash is strong when reviewers don't praise these games. You made the perfect example with Nintendolife, so I can guarantee that many reviewers will score it decently as there's no point because a part of the fandom will consume it either way and will not tolerate any negative opinions about them. You guys say that they "wanted to appeal to the hate crowd" when it's even more likely that most reviewers wanted to appeal to the most toxic part of the fandom as there's no point in telling them otherwise. Both sides attack reviewers a lot, but the aggressive part of the fandom is definitely more intense.
In my case I didn't get involved that much with these games as they are remakes, but I do think that aside from the core rpg mechanics Pokémon games this generation have been disappointing. I loved them since Red and Blue until Sun and Moon so it's not like I've been on an extreme, I just think that on Switch, where there's stuff like BOTW and Odyssey, they haven't even been close to deliver a game that is a representative of the system.
Also, the Switch has outsold the PS2 and is now the 4th best-selling game system of all time in Japan, behind NDS, GB/GBC, and 3DS.
@Harmonie
The characters in Pokemon BDSP look cute in Chibi form.
I like it. 😘
@Ralizah
or BUT YOU CAN"T TURN OFF EXP SHARE!!1
It's funny when ex-communist countries try to monetize internet echo chambers via negative advertising shakedowns. They haven't grown up with the maxim "there's no such thing as bad publicity."
Although I like the way Oscar Wilde phrased it: "There is only one thing worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about."
I've watched my little brother play Shining Pearl and several streams. From what I've seen, I'm not shocked at all that these remakes are selling very well. My biggest issue with the original games, the atrocious health bar, has been corrected, and so I think I'll finally be able to fully appreciate the Sinnoh region when I get started in Brilliant Diamond, which I picked up earlier this week.
Wow, Japanese gamers do not like digital only consoles.
The PS5 digital edition sold worse then the Xbox Series, 2DS, and PS4.
No wonder they get physical editions of most games.
Let’s please keep the discussion civil and avoid being petty or snarky.
@MajorTom That mindset is really weird to me too. Imagine calling Call of Duty formulaic and a cash-grab, and the counter being "but it SELLS well, haters."
@Caryslan It appears that there are people out there who (rightfully) believe that digital games are a scam. Who would have thought?
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@Mauzuri looks at prices for Platinum No, I pretty much can't. Never got the game and I'd be spending more for it than BD/SP cost (which is outrageous in of itself) to get it.
BTW, making fun of someone for taking Nintendo games seriously on a Nintendo site is silly. I have my opinion, and I am allowed to express it.
@JordanMiddler what's your thoughts on this?
@Mauzuri Also, lack of Platinum features (which I never played to begin with) has absolutely nothing to do with my dislike of BD/SP. Please stop lumping everyone who disagrees with you together like we're all a hivemind.
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Goes to show digital edition of consoles doesn't sell in Japan anymore especially after the multiple lineup of games disappearing from the digital shops such as the likes of the Super Mario 3D All-Star, Fire Emblem: Dark Dragons and the Mystery of the Emblem, Super Mario Bros. 35, Jump Rope Challenge, Metal Gear games, GTA Trilogy: The Non-Definitive Edition, Jump Force: Deluxe Edition, and the PS3, PS Vita, and PSP shop debacle.
@Caryslan This just tells us that Sony still hasn't learn a damn thing from the failure that was the PSP Go. This PS5 Digital Edition is just that, a PSP Go in console form.
This is really depressing..... that disaster that is Battlefield 2042 is second if you take both versions, undeserved.
I think these remakes are quite decent and have had more fun with brilliant diamond than I did with sword/shield, they are faithful remakes and sticking with a similar chibi style which closely resembles the originals more.
I'd take this chibi style over a "let's go" style game any day
I know there are still supply issues, but what an absolute stomping by every Switch model in advance of the holidays. The PS5 might as well not exist.
Welcome in the real world people! Pokemon fans might be annoyed by the lazy effort (though to me as a non-pokemon fan it looks pretty decent) but the masses don't care. Nintendo is cheering that they got away yet again with a lazy effort, especially Nintendo's boss wich was (or still is) the boss from the Pokemon company!
@Caryslan
It seems that way. It looks like its in Japanese culture to bring your old games you no longer play to shops like "Hot potato" , something you can't do with digital games. Good news for us too, since that probably means Nintendo's next console won't be "digital games only" either, though you never know.
Huh, neat.
Ring fit is finally back in the top 10.
And SMT V dropped to 3rd sadly, I hope it doesn't lose any traction.
The ps5 digital is DYING in Japan, the x box is finally picking up some, and Nintendo is just king, the new sexual harassment suit against Sony cannot be helping it either, they are just like Activision, and they have no games for the holidays, looks like scalpers won't be able to save them this time, and I couldn't be happier.
Quality wise SMT 5 is so far ahead I know it’s niche but I wish the sales gap wouldn’t be that huge compare to Pokémon.
I'm just happy to see SMTV holding on. Pokemon is always going to sell, no matter what. I'll probably be buying it next year - I like Pokemon well enough, I'm just not super into it. I'm playing SMTV right now, and it's what I really want my monster collecting games to be.
@MajorTom Yes, but my point was that the majority of Cyberpunk 2077 sales were from before people realised how bad it was, rather than people buying it despite it being terrible. From what I've seen of GTA it's nowhere near Cyberpunk levels of bad - folk on the forums here actually say it's pretty decent. Haven't played it myself yet, but San Andreas is on Game Pass I think so might check it out. I agree though, that if folk are buying stuff they know is a buggy mess than its pretty dumb. That's the chance you take when you preorder these days it seems.
I don’t have it yet, Santa if you’re listening.
@dmcc0 Pretty sure the San Andreas version that is on Game Pass is different from the latest Trilogy. There have already been some public apologies by Rockstar about the game and it has one of the lowest user ratings possible on Metacritic (0,5), https://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/grand-theft-auto-the-trilogy---the-definitive-edition
https://metro.co.uk/2021/11/22/rockstar-sincerely-apologise-for-gta-trilogy-not-offering-refunds-15642508/
My point mainly was that some series will keep selling even if there is information about them being almost unplayable.
If I had a nickel for in the past day people got mad at the design choices, I'd have two nickels. That's not a lot, it's just weird it happened twice. All jokes aside I'll probably get this as some point since I never played the original, but that won't be anytime soon.
Cheap and ugly remake could have been so much more, shameful Pokemon and Gamefreak are now cheap and lazy
@MajorTom It only got added last week and is called San Andreas - The Definitive Edition so it seems to be the same version. I still don't think there are too many people buying games that they know have issues, they'll mostly be pre-orders or people that aren't aware of the issues yet - not everyone is checking out reviews before they buy stuff. Also metacritic is hardly an accurate representation of how good or bad a game is really - "the internet" are a fickle bunch and it's just too easy for someone to rate something 0/10 for any reason.
Animal Crossing New Horizons could be over 7m by January. That is pretty wild.
@mariopartyfan68
I think PS5 still have at least 1 holiday game.
How about Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart ?
@Dragonite89
Please do not posting your hatred toward Pokemon BDSP in this article too.
Keep your saltiness for yourself.
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@Dragonite89
You can make a critique but not by keep telling your saltiness about Pokemon BDSP on every Pokemon articles or thread.
And please do not rain on people's parade to enjoy Pokemon BDSP.
Also, calling other peoples as mindless robots is not cute.
@Anti-Matter and my opinion is my opinion why are you so triggered towards people who don’t agree with you I’m not gonna listen to you either you are just wasting your time trying to silence me, I will never listen to you as I stand by my opinion bdsp sucks and I can freely critize it wether you like it or not..
@Dragonite89
Oh, gosh... 😆😆😆
Play your Pokemon Diamond / Pearl NDS version if you still have one.
Entertain yourself and get happy with it.
And why are you still here to keep complaining about Pokemon BDSP that you will not buy ?
Grab your Pokemon games on NDS and start to play.
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I know people expected more from the remakes, but I feel they are forgetting we are also getting Legends Arceus in a couple of months. ILCA needed to prove itself with something safe while GF is doing something different. I prefer having Legends Arceus+ remake than a single ORAS style remake.
@Dragonite89
"BDSP looks ugly and cheap"
It looks cute and beautiful for me. 😘
I never knew if Professor Rowan looks adorable in Chibi form. 😄
@Anti-Matter Dragonite is being rude and I don't condone that, but I do want to point out that everyone has the right to express their opinion here, and you just need to find a way to quit letting it bother you. You can't be telling people to shut up because they're posting opinions that disagree with you, that is very rude. You have no such right to silence people here.
@Devlind Legends: Arceus looks great and I look forward to it. It is one way to look at it, that they outsourced D/P remakes to make something new themselves. But I don't want the quality of the mainline remake series to be sacrificed on the alter to make it happen. Out source it to someone who isn't going to make a DS-level 2.5D game, please.
@Anti-Matter I think it ugly that’s my opinion
@Harmonie I have the right to express my opinion too regardless of how you take it..fyi he’s the one trying to silence me for not liking the game and expressing myself for it he is the one being rude I didn’t even tag him on my first comment..
@Dragonite89 @Harmonie
Okay, see ya.
Have a good time. 😊
@Dragonite89 Did my reply confuse you? I was telling him that he was being rude and he had no right to tell you to shut up. It was your responses to him later, insulting him that prompted me to open that reply by saying that you have been rude, too.
@Anti-Matter That was released in June.
@Henmii Those games aren't lazy if they aren't as broken as the GTA trilogy. Pokemon games don't need to be super realistic, they look outdated cause that's the style they go by just like how Dragon Quest XI which just looks like an updated version of Dragon Quest VIII.
@Munchlax You must had mistake a remake with a sequel or successor. Remakes are not suppose to innovate over the original, they are suppose to reintroduced the original to the modern audience in their modern style. It's the sequel that's suppose to improved and innovate over the original. A remake is if you recreate Super Mario Bros. 3 for Switch but using New Super Mario Bros. U assets and style, a sequel is like Super Mario World where you build upon what Super Mario Bros. 3 had and then some.
Pokemon is still massive. Hope Gamefreak learns from its mistakes in lets go and sword/shield and evolve the formula.
My, my Series X/S sold almost as much as PS5 (considering limitations) Took Microsoft near 20 years but they got a chance to crack Japan.
@Specter_of-the_OLED
Previous Pokémon remakes had massive improvements over the originals. This is the same game with a few QoL features.
@Specter_of-the_OLED
I don't know much about the GTA trilogy, but yeah I heard its a mess. As for Pokemon: They added the intro (and outro?) via a update. The game was probably sooo rushed that they couldn't even ad those before launch. That's just mindboggling! And the game was done by a smaller studio, probably to cut costs.
That being said I don't think it looks that bad.
I'm looking to get SMT V soon.
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