Nintendo has announced that Pokémon Legends: Z-A has quickly reached 5.8 million copies sold through its first week, making it the fifth fastest-selling Pokémon game of all time. Perhaps more interesting is that around half of those sales have come from Nintendo Switch 2 owners, showing just how strong the initial sales of the console have been.
Of the games that Legends: Z-A is lagging behind – as noted by games sales tracker Pierre485 – all of them are Nintendo Switch games – Scarlet & Violet leads the bunch at 10 million in 3 days, Arceus had 6.5 million in 3 days, Sword & Shield had 6 million in 3 days, matched by Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl.
The Switch 2 has been the best-selling console of all time through its opening months, and with such strong early adoption, it’s natural that some of the keenest Pokémon gamers are also then making the jump, leading to that rough 50:50 player split.
You do have to wonder if some of the issues that plagued Pokémon Scarlet & Violet hampered some of the interest for Z-A, with that game having significant performance issues on the original Switch, or perhaps being a “Legends” branded spin-off make this feel less essential than a traditional dual game release.
But, Pokémon Legends: Z-A is one of the biggest, most impactful gameplay shakeups to the series to date. Taking place entirely within Lumiose City from Pokémon X & Y, the big shift comes with the battle system, which has been transformed with real time battles. There’s also now a day-night cycle with tougher battles at night.
Nic was effusive with his praise of the game, saying in our review, “Pokémon Legends: Z-A is a game that really holds your attention. The spiritual successor to Legends Arceus, it’s learned from the mistakes of the distant past and beautifully shows what city life is like in the Pokémon universe. I can see myself playing this for another hundred hours as I finish my Pokédex, shiny hunt and generally have a great time. This is easily the best Pokémon game on the market.”
Source: Nintendo
