‘Pokémon Sword’ And ‘Pokémon Shield’ Had The Most Successful Launch Of Any Pokémon Game To Date

“Pokémon Sword” and “Pokémon Shield,” the latest entries in Nintendo’s massively popular franchise, had the highest grossing launch of any Pokémon game to date. Nintendo of America announced that the game sold more than 6 million copies worldwide during its opening weekend, including more than 2 million units sold in the U.S.

In “Pokémon Sword” and “Pokémon Shield,” players travel through a new region of the Pokémon world, encountering dozens of new collectible monsters and using them to battle and trade with friends. They’re the first brand new Pokémon games for the Nintendo Switch, and they’re already among the best-selling Switch games of all time one week after release.

“Pokémon Sword and Shield” are selling faster than last year’s “Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu!” and “Pokémon: Let’s Go, Eevee!,” which sold about 1.5 million copies in their first two weeks. “Let’s Go, Pikachu!” and Let’s Go, Eevee” were remakes of the original 1996 games, “Pokémon Red” and “Pokémon Blue.”

The Pokémon Company says the core Pokémon games have sold more than 240 million copies worldwide, not including spin-offs like “Pokémon Detective Pikachu” and “Pokémon Mystery Dungeon.” As the 8th generation of Pokémon games, “Sword” and “Shield” bring the total number of Pokémon to nearly 1,000, though not all of the Pokémon can be caught in the latest games.

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The Nintendo Switch is the year’s best-selling video game console, and “Pokémon Sword” and “Pokémon Shield” will make the Switch even more appealing during the holiday season. Nintendo in September released the $299 Switch Lite, a portable-only version of the console, offering Pokémon fans a familiar handheld experience for a lower price.

This article originally appeared on Business Insider. Read the original story here.