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Pokémon Diamond and Pearl remakes become second biggest Switch launch in Japan

Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl sold just shy of 1.4 million units in three days

Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl have become the second biggest Switch launch of all time in Japan.

Having launched on November 19, 2021, the remakes sold almost 1.4 million units (1,395,642 precisely) in three days in the country, according to data from Famitsu.

The only Switch game that did better was unsurprisingly Animal Crossing: New Horizons back in March 2020, with 1.8 million copies sold in three days.

As a comparison, the original 2006 Pokémon Diamond and Pearl had sold 1.5 million units in four days in Japan, Famitsu said.

This is physical sales only and doesn't include data from the Switch eShop though Nintendo Life pointed out that the digital versions are already listed as best sellers in the eShop.

Looking at hardware sales, the Switch sold 168,000 units during Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl's launch week, a sharp increase compared to the previous week with 87,000 units sold.

The Nintendo Switch has now sold 22 million units in Japan since launch.

In the UK, Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl was the second biggest boxed game launch of 2021 behind FIFA 22, and the biggest Switch release of the year, beating Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury.

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Marie Dealessandri

Deputy Editor

Marie Dealessandri joined GamesIndustry.biz in 2019 to head its Academy section. A journalist since 2012, she started in games in 2016. She can be found (rarely) tweeting @mariedeal, usually on a loop about Baldur’s Gate and the Dead Cells soundtrack. GI resident Moomins expert.