Pokémon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl enjoy Japan’s second-biggest Switch launch

Pokémon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl have enjoyed the second-best launch of any Switch game in Japan.

The remakes of 2006 DS games Pokémon Diamond and Pearl sold 1,395,642 units in their first three days, according to Famitsu.

This includes physical boxed copies and download cards sold at Japanese retailers, but it doesn’t include digital copies bought directly from the Nintendo eShop.

Only one other Switch game has managed to sell more copies in its first three days in Japan, which is Animal Crossing: New Horizons.

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New Horizons sold around 1.88 million units in its first three days in Japan in March 2020, meaning it remains the best opening weekend for a Switch game in the country.

Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl’s three-day sales total is slightly higher than Pokémon Sword & Shield, which sold 31,000 fewer copies in its first three days.

The games are remakes of Pokémon Diamond & Pearl, which were released for Nintendo DS in 2006. The originals sold 1.586 million units in their first four days in Japan, putting them roughly in line with the remakes’ sales figures.

In VGC’s Pokémon Diamond & Shining Pearl review, we said: “The original DS Diamond and Pearl were great back in the day, and 15 years later this new coat of paint makes them just as entertaining. The improvements may not be as drastic as some may have hoped, but what’s here is a solid Pokémon adventure regardless.”

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Review: Pokémon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl are faithful remakes, for better or worse

The improvements aren't quite as drastic as hoped, but what's here is a compelling Pokémon adventure regardless

The Pokémon Company‘s next big game is Pokémon Legends: Arceus, which will be released in January 2022 and feature an open-world adventure that deviates from the standard Pokémon formula.

Pokémon Legends: Arceus is set in the past and takes place in the Hisui region, before it would become known as the Sinnoh region.

The player joins the Galaxy Expedition Team, whose role is to study and research Pokémon. As a member of the team’s Survey Corps, it’s the player’s job to observe and capture Pokémon to find out more about how they live.