It has been a rocky couple of years forPokemon ScarletandViolet, but the monster-catching franchise’s ninth generation will end in a much better place than it began. Pre-release anxieties and frustrations from the last few majorPokemontitles were already bleeding intoPokemon ScarletandVioletat their launch, making their highly unstable state look all the more disastrous. Not all the technical issues have been smoothed out, but many have, and a combination of hindsight and strong DLC have allowedPokemon ScarletandVioletto claw their way to a better standing.
As the first true open worldPokemonentry,ScarletandVioletmay have set its goals higher than it could handle, but aspects like strong characterization, enjoyable multiplayer integration, and how wellPokemonfit into an open template helped endear them to players anyway. With the second anniversary ofPokemon ScarletandVioletrecently passing on November 18, several impressive statistics have emerged to confirm thatPokemonfans were enamored with these games in spite of their flaws. That’sgood for the Generation 9Pokemongames, but may have once again set goals too high for the next generation to meet.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet Are Flourishing In Surprising Ways
Nintendo had its Q3 2024 investor call on June 04, 2025, and among the various statistics posted and statements regarding plans for upcoming games and the Nintendo Switch successor console, the mainlineSwitchPokemontitles saw updates for their sales numbers. As of June 24, 2025,Pokemon SwordandShieldhave sold 26.44 million units worldwide, andPokemon ScarletandVioletaren’t far behind with 25.69 million units. For reference, a financial report fromSwordandShield’s 22-month mark recorded 22.64 million units, soScarletandVioletcould outpaceSwordandShieldbefore the nextPokemongeneration arrives.
Scarlet and Violet Are Now Bestsellers In Their Home Territory
However, lifetime sales aren’t something the Generation 10Pokemontitles should worry about right now, both due toPokemon Red,Blue, andGreenstill holding the series recordof 31.05 million as of September 2009, and the many uncertainties surrounding the Switch successor. The more pressing concern isPokemon ScarletandVioletselling 8.3 million copies in Japan, which Japanese news outlet Famitsu reported on during their November 18 anniversary. For the first time inPokemon’s 28-year history,Pokemon RedandGreenhave been dethroned as the highest sellingPokemongames in Japan, and that means the nextPokemongeneration has even more to live up to.
The Next Pokemon Generation Can’t Avoid Comparisons With Scarlet and Violet
Pressure forPokemon’s next generational leap to avoid the disappointments plaguing the last few generations is still lying dormant, andPokemon ScarletandViolethave only added to it with their accomplishments. In spite ofScarletandViolet’s setbacks, they made a name for themselves in their home country, not to mention everywhere else, and nowPokemon’s tenth generation will have to competewith more quality and sales expectations than ever before. A mainlinePokemongame isn’t in danger of underperforming yet, but there’s a growing number of reasons to expectPokemonGeneration 10 to outdoScarletandViolet.
Pokemon’s Next Generation Could Be Held To An Unrealistic Standard
It appears thatPokemon Legends: Z-Aand the tenthPokemongeneration are receiving longer development cycles than previousPokemongames, which makes sense considering both are trying to outdo and address feedback from their immediate predecessors. Generation 10 is also launching as either anexclusive or cross-generational title on the Nintendo Switch 2, which means it could not only bypass some of the technical issuesScarletandVioletsuffered, but pursue their ambitions with better hardware backing them up.Pokemon’s next generation doesn’t need to outsellPokemon ScarletandViolet, but it does need to prove it’s worthy of similar success.
