Holiday sales are approaching around the world and the preferred title varies from region to region. However, in Japan it was not necessary to wait until the last week of the year to know that Splatoon 3 will not close as the best-selling game of 2022.
Although the title initially managed to become the best-opening game in Japan, it could not hold onto this title for long, as once Pokémon Scarlet & Violet debuted in November, there was a new king.
Both titles became the best premiere not only of 2021, but in the history of Japan and today we know that it took these games less than 1 month in the Japanese market to surpass the sales of Splatoon 3 to become the best-selling games. 2022 in Japan.
The new Pokémon games dominate Japan again
Pokémon Scarlet & Violet have already reached a cumulative 3,702,482 units sold, while Splatoon 3 trailed behind with 3,497,714 copies sold.
This feat may not seem surprising to many, but the truth is that it is extremely important. As we told you, these games debuted on November 17, so they reached that sales figure in 4 weeks. As if that were not enough, Splatoon 3 debuted a couple of months earlier, precisely on September 9. This means that Pokémon Scarlet & Violet sold more than what Splatoon distributed in 3 months.
That said, there is no doubt that Pokémon Scarlet & Violet will close the year as the best seller in Japan and as the preferred Christmas gift. In addition, an equally strong rival is not seen to be able to knock them off their throne soon; In fact, this week Dragon Quest Treasures debuted, from a popular franchise in Japan, but it barely managed to sell just over half (143,650 copies) of what Pokémon Scarlet & Violet sold last week (277,676 units) and the fourth they have been for sale.
Next we leave you with the list of Famitsu sales in physical format from last week (via Gematsu).
Software sales
- Pokemon Scarlet & Violet — 277,676
- Dragon Quest Treasures — 143,650
- Splatoon 3—51,315
- Witch on the Holy Night (Nintendo Switch) — 39,759
- Witch on the Holy Night (PlayStation 4) — 26,585
- Mario Kart 8 Deluxe — 21,583
- Minecraft—21,094
- Nintendo Switch Sports—17,187
- Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope—13,466
- Kirby and the Forgotten Land—11,239
Hardware sales
- Nintendo Switch OLED—102,962
- Nintendo Switch—30,608
- Nintendo Switch Lite—24,536
- PlayStation 5—16,615
- PS4—3150
- PlayStation 5 Digital Edition—2207
- Xbox Series S—1306
- Xox-Series X—218
- New Nintendo 2DS LL—64
What do you think of the sales of Pokémon Scarlet & Violet? Tell us in the comments.