Pokemon Legends: Arceus Is Already Breaking Records

Pokemon Legends: Arceus Is Already Breaking Records
The Pokemon Company

Written by 

Joseph Kime

Published 

31st Jan 2022 11:31

Pokemon Legends: Arceus had, and still has, a lot of pressure on it. Such a massive change to the Pokemon formula is something that fans have wanted for a long time, and with the game's open-world elements, new catching mechanics, freedom to explore and more, gamers have been positively buzzing for the game's launch, despite some players' reservations about the game's graphics.

Early reactions have been hugely positive, with even the game's biggest sceptics being talked around to loving it. And it's clear that fans are engaging behind the counter, too, as Arceus is already on track to break some big sales records - barely past the game's launch weekend.

How Is Pokemon Legends: Arceus Selling?

It's only been a few days, but already, Pokemon Legends: Arceus has had one of the best launches in the franchise's history.

According to GamesIndustry.biz's Christopher Dring, the game has had the fourth-best UK launch in Pokemon's long lifetime, and that's only considering the physical sales of the title in an increasingly digital gaming landscape. The title comes just behind Alpha Sapphire and Omega Ruby, and has already surpassed the last Pokemon game to launch on the switch, Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, with the pair of remakes coming in at position six.

But that's not all.

Pokemon Legends: Arceus' Sales Made Up Half Of Boxed Sales Last Week

Not only is Legends: Arceus positively steamrolling some modern classics for the Pokemon franchise in sales, it's also taking over the gaming charts at large in the UK. Once again by Dring's estimation, Pokemon Legends: Arceus made up almost 50% of all boxed game sales last week in only three days.

The launch of the game by numbers was incredibly hard to predict given the huge ambition and massive shift away from the franchise's much-loved gameplay, but it's clear that the risks that The Pokemon Company has taken are paying off, and with incredible flair.

The franchise's future is now looking bright, especially with sales numbers like this. We're so relieved the game is as good as it is - and hopefully, this sales success means we'll be able to look forward to more Pokemon Legends action in the future.

 

Joseph Kime
About the author
Joseph Kime
Joseph Kime is the Senior Trending News Journalist for GGRecon from Devon, UK. Before graduating from MarJon University with a degree in Journalism, he started writing music reviews for his own website before writing for the likes of FANDOM, Zavvi and The Digital Fix. He is host of the Big Screen Book Club podcast, and author of Building A Universe, a book that chronicles the history of superhero movies. His favourite games include DOOM (2016), Celeste and Pokemon Emerald.
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