Pokémon Sword & Shield Is Now Best-Selling Game After Red & Blue
The popularity of Pokémon Sword and Shield's Galar region has been backed by recent sales data, showing the Generation Eight games have taken the second best-selling position in the series. Pokémon Sword and Shield, while similar to past games in the Pokémon series, introduced a number of new concepts like DLC expansions and open-world-inspired map areas. The changes to gameplay helped Sword and Shield reach a wider audience of players, with the games remaining popular years after their initial launch.
Originally released for the Nintendo Switch in 2019, Pokémon Sword and Shield take players through a vibrant, detailed region inspired by the landscapes and cultures of the UK. Top-down gameplay has been exchanged for an angled view behind a fully rendered character model, with buildings towering over players' heads, offering a more immersive tone while exploring routes and towns. The alterations to chibi-style sprites and simplified overworld art took advantage of the Nintendo Switch's powerful graphical capabilities, stepping away from the limitations of previous handheld consoles like the Nintendo 3DS.
In a recent article shared by Nintendo Life, the success of Pokémon Sword and Shield was highlighted in sales numbers, with the title coming in second on the most copies sold for a generation. Previously, that position was held by Gold and Silver by a wide margin, with Diamond and Pearl coming in third. Now only outsold by the original Red, Blue, and Green, Pokémon Sword and Shield demonstrate an important milestone for the series, showing that newer titles can be almost as popular as the first generations of the series. The sales numbers could encourage Game Freak to take successful content seen in Sword and Shield and implement it into upcoming titles in the Pokémon series, alongside other new and adventurous changes for game direction.
The ambitious additions seen in Sword and Shield may also have played big roles in the development of Pokémon Legends: Arceus, the new open-world-inspired Pokémon game set in the historic Hisui region based on modern-day Sinnoh. The five map locations included in Pokémon Legends: Arceus function similarly to the Wild Areas found in Sword and Shield, more specifically emulating the vast map expansions added through the DLC expansions The Isle of Armor and The Crown Tundra. It is possible these DLC maps were used to test player reception to larger open areas, as well as quest-based gameplay requiring players to explore to solve plot points. This style of gameplay takes the place of the linear RPG-style progression seen in earlier Pokémon titles, bringing a fresh new feel to the series.
Despite Sword and Shield now being aged games in the Pokémon series, it is likely they will remain popular and relevant for several more years. This is thanks to the ongoing Max Raid events, and the extended gameplay introduced in The Crown Tundra DLC expansion. Dynamax Adventures and the Galarian Star Tournament have provided hours of extended post-game challenges, fleshing out an already exciting and enjoyable base-game experience. Because of this, it is possible Pokémon Sword and Shield's sales numbers will continue to climb for the foreseeable future.
Source: Nintendo Life