Since its release on November 18 on Nintendo Switch, Pokémon Scarlet/Purple has seduced players around the world. With a whole new map to explore, a new generation of Pokémon and an ultra-developed plot, Game Freak seems to have found the recipe for success. But although millions of players have already embarked on the adventure on this latest opus, it seems that it is not the favorite of the players!
Pokémon Red & Green at the top
It was in the country of origin of the Game Freak license that the Gameage R&I teams carried out a survey of 2,604 players (aged 15 to 59) asking them: which Pokémon game have you played? All this with the aim of estimating which Game Freak production remains the most popular. In Japan, it's hard to find people who have never played a Pokémon production, regardless of generation. Parents passed on this passion for pocket monsters to children and it shows. However, the oldest games are the most popular. So, is this a touch of nostalgia or were the pre-2000s productions objectively better?
- Pokémon Red & Green (1996): 48.7%
- Pokémon Gold&Silver (1999): 37.1%
- Pokémon Diamond & Pearl (2006): 28%
- Pokémon Sapphire & Ruby (2002): 26.1%
- Pokemon Blue (1996): 24.2%
- Pokémon Yellow: Special Pikachu Edition (1998): 24.1%
- Pokemon Black & White (2010): 22.8%
- Pokemon Go (2016): 20.8%
- Pokémon Trading Card Game (1996): 17.3%
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Pokémon FireRed & LeafGreen (2004): 17.2%
Disclaimer: Of course, the cumulative percentages exceed 100%. This is because the question posed to Japanese players was "which Pokémon games have you played?" and their answers can be multiple.
Why aren't Pokémon Scarlet/Purple on the leaderboard?
It is important to remember that the last opus of the license was released barely two months ago and it has not yet had enough time to become a classic. The productions at the top of this ranking are those that have won a place in the hearts of Japanese gamers over the years. These are games that have marked the license and have charmed generations of players.
The 1G undoubtedly has the most legendary (and well-known) starters from Pokémon productions: Squirtle, Charmander and Bulbizarre. The latter have notably appeared several times in the animated series and have followed the adventures of Sacha and Pikachu. But while the next story in this famous Pokémon animated series will follow two trainers from Paldea, can Pokémon Scarlet/Purple ever hope to surpass the popularity of Red/Green?
Some characters are very popular and highly anticipated yet haven't been seen in a while. Here is the list of characters whose return is expected and when they could return!
