How much did Pokémon Black and White 2 sell?
As of January 2023, Pokémon Black and White 2 have sold over 7.81 million copies worldwide. But what contributed to these impressive sales for Black 2 and White 2? As a passionate Pokémon gamer and content creator, I have closely followed the franchise‘s sales over the years. In this in-depth article, I‘ll break down the numbers and reasons behind Black 2 and White 2‘s commercial success.
Launch Weekend: Immediate Popularity
Within the first two days of release in June 2012, Pokémon Black 2 and White 2 sold over 1.6 million copies worldwide. This outpaced the original Black and White games, which sold 1.3 million units in their first two days in 2011.
Breaking sales down further:
- Pokémon Black 2: 817,000 copies
- Pokémon White 2: 745,000 copies
So in terms of version preferences, Black 2 slightly edged out White 2. This continues a historic franchise trend of the "black" versions outselling their "white" counterparts.
Expanding our time frame to the first two weeks, Black 2 and White 2 combined to sell an impressive 2+ million copies worldwide.
The tables below put these figures into wider context…
Launch Weekend Pokémon Game Sales
| Game | Launch Weekend Sales |
|---|---|
| Red/Blue/Green | 1 million+ |
| Gold/Silver | 1.4 million |
| Ruby/Sapphire | 1 million+ |
| Diamond/Pearl | 1.3 million |
| Black/White | 1.3 million |
| Black 2/White 2 | 1.6 million |
| X/Y | 4 million |
| Sun/Moon | 3.7 million |
| Sword/Shield | 6 million |
First 2 Weeks Pokémon Game Sales
| Game | First 2 Weeks Sales |
|---|---|
| Red/Blue/Green | 3 million+ |
| Gold/Silver | 2.5 million |
| Ruby/Sapphire | 1.8 million |
| Diamond/Pearl | 2.5 million |
| Black/White | 2.6 million |
| Black 2/White 2 | 2 million |
| X/Y | 10 million |
| Sun/Moon | 7.2 million |
| Sword/Shield | 6 million |
As the tables show, Black 2 and White 2 exceeded sales of preceding DS titles Diamond, Pearl and Black, White over the same launch periods. Showing the momentum the Pokémon franchise had entering its second set of Generation 5 games…
Lifetime Sales: Versions Combined
Zooming out to lifetime sales, Pokémon Black 2 and White 2 have sold over 7.81 million copies worldwide as of January 2023.
This ranks them among the 15 highest selling Pokémon games of all time, ahead of fan favorites like Pokémon Emerald and Platinum:
Best Selling Pokémon Games
| Rank | Game | Lifetime Sales |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Red/Blue/Green | 31.38 million |
| 2 | Gold/Silver | 23 million |
| 3 | Ruby/Sapphire | 16.22 million |
| 4 | Diamond/Pearl | 17.67 million |
| 5 | Black/White | 15.64 million |
| 6 | Sword/Shield | 25.37 million |
| 7 | Sun/Moon | 16.18 million |
| 8 | X/Y | 16.44 million |
| 9 | Fire Red/Leaf Green | 12 million |
| 10 | Emerald | 7 million |
| 11 | Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire | 14.27 million |
| 12 | Platinum | 7.6 million |
| 13 | Black 2/White 2 | 7.81 million |
| 14 | Crystal | 6.6 million |
So while Black 2 and White 2 didn‘t surpass the lofty sales levels set by original Black and White, their 7.81 million lifetime sales are mightily impressive.
Cementing Pokémon‘s popularity during Generation 5 and suggesting fans enthusiastically embraced the opportunity to explore fresh features and storylines in Unova.
What Drove Strong Black 2/White 2 Sales?
Based on critical reviews and fan reception at launch, several factors drove strong sales of Pokémon Black 2 and White 2:
Deeper Storyline & Lore
Continuing the story arc two years later with new protagonists allowed Game Freak to expand on the interesting "Pokémon liberation" storyline from Black & White in a deeper way.
As Eurogamer‘s review stated: "Black 2 and White 2 love their storylines like some people love their pets."
More Places to Explore
Whereas the original Black & White only featured a single Eastern section of the Unova region, Black 2 and White 2 greatly expanded the explorable areas – opening up more diverse, vibrant locations for players to journey through and engage with.
Gameplay Refinements
Numerous quality-of-life upgrades were introduced – from an expanded regional Pokédex from the start to useful item organization tweaks. Reflecting refinement based on Game Freak listening to fan feedback.
As IGN said in their review: "It‘s clear that they paid attention…B2/W2 work wonders in addressing many of fans‘ big and little gripes with last year‘s games."
Post Launch Support
The versions saw continued sales spikes with the release of the Pokémon Dream Radar tie-in app and the nostalgia-fueled Pokémon Bank connectivity one year later. Showing Game Freak extended engagement beyond launch.
Regional Sales Variations
Analyzing the regional breakdown of lifetime Black 2 and White 2 sales shows some interesting variations versus the Pokémon franchise average:
- Japan – 2.11 million (27% of lifetime sales)
- Above 23.3% franchise avg
- USA – 1.79 million (23%)
- Below 29.4% avg
- Europe – 1.75 million (22%)
- Above 20% avg
- Other – 2.16 million (28%)
- Above 27.3% avg
So Black 2 and White 2 actually overindexed in Japan and Europe versus recent franchise history – suggesting storylines/design factors uniquely resonated in those markets.
The games did see a slightly lower sales contribution from the US compared to normal. But still put up solid numbers there in absolute terms.
The Verdict: Another Pokémon Hit
While Black 2 and White 2 couldn‘t eclipse the mainstream-breaking sales of their direct predecessors, selling over 7.81 million copies is a remarkable achievement in its own right.
Cementing Generation 5‘s popularity and the current health of the Pokémon franchise as it entered its "modern era" on 3DS/Switch.
With plenty of reasons for old and new fans to return to Unova, Black 2 and White 2 scratched that Pokémon itch for millions worldwide. Potentially even winning over players who bounced off the original Black & White games. Proving Game Freak knew exactly how to iterate their winning formula.
