The Pokemon franchise has a tradition of outdoing itself (and everyone else, for that matter) every time it puts out a new game, and this was no exception.
Pokemon Black/White is the fastest DS game ever to sell 5 million copies, had the single largest launch of any game in Japan, and now occupies both the number 1 and number 2 slots on the top of UK charts.
So I’d say it’s done pretty well for itself.
These record numbers weren’t exactly unexpected, however. The game was lauded as the “best Pokemon ever” by Official Nintendo Magazine, and Japanese magazine Famitsu gave the title a 40 out of 40 rating, the highest any Pokemon game has received from any publication. Our own John Funk gave the game 5/5 stars.
Of the two games, (which, as usual, are basically the same except for a few differences in which Pokemon can be acquired) White has sold better, beating Black by about 13,000 copies. Combined, the games are the third biggest UK launch in Nintendo history after Wii Fit and Mario Kart Wii
As the 5th generation of the franchise, Pokemon Black/White had a lot to live up to, and news that the developers were going to change up some of the tried-and-true mechanics of the series caused a minor panic amongst fans. Tinkering with the perfect and ineffable equation of the Pokemon Series? Blasphemy!
It appears the changes have gone over fairly well with the public, if these numbers mean anything.
Source: GamesIndustry.biz
