Pokemon Sword and Shield.

Pokémon Sword and Shield are bigger hits than their predecessors despite all the drama

If you were tuned into Pokémon discourse on places like Twitter or Reddit, you may have thought that Sword and Shield were going to be giant disasters. Instead, sales are already outpacing the last few major Pokémon games.

Nintendo revealed today as part of its latest financial results that Sword and Shield have already sold 16.06 million copies as of the end of December. They released on November 15 for Switch, a little more than 2 months ago.

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Mike Minotti

Mike Minotti has been with GamesBeat since 2012, starting as an intern. Based near Youngstown, Ohio, he now manages GamesBeat's editorial team. He's also a prolific podcaster, appearing on multiple shows covering the gaming industry.