Pokémon Scarlet and Violet Market Performance: Japan November 2022

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet dominated the Japanese video game market in November 2022, securing its position as the month's top-selling title by a significant margin. According to retail data from Famitsu, the game shifted approximately 3.1 million boxed units between its November 18 launch and the end of the month. This performance notably outperformed the launch period of Pokémon Legends: Arceus, which sold roughly 2.1 million units during its debut month earlier that year.

The broader market landscape in Japan during this period was heavily concentrated on the Nintendo Switch platform. Out of 4.2 million total boxed units sold across the industry in November, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet accounted for 73% of all sales. Furthermore, 93% of all physical game copies sold in the country were for the Switch, while Sony consoles represented only 6% of the market. Hardware trends mirrored this software dominance, with the Switch OLED model capturing over 50% of all hardware units sold, and the Switch Lite experiencing a notable surge in popularity.

Other notable performers in the top ten included Splatoon 3, which maintained strong momentum with 170,000 additional units sold, and the Square Enix RPG Tactics Ogre: Reborn, which took third place. God of War: Ragnarok served as a rare high-performing PlayStation 5 title, securing fourth place with 43,000 units sold. Overall, the data underscores a period of intense market consolidation around Nintendo’s ecosystem, driven by the record-breaking launch of the latest Pokémon installment.