Rumor: Pokemon Scarlet/Violet DLC Sold 6.15 Million Copies, Went Significantly Overbudget

Some new details about Pokemon Scarlet/Violet‘s DLC have leaked online, via the most recent batch of info from the infamous Tera Leak.

The leak references what appear to be internal documents from developer Game Freak, specifically discussing the performance of the Hidden Treasures of Area Zero DLC. According to the slides, the DLC sold around 6.15 million copies within the first 10 months of release, amounting to around 25% of the overall playerbase. This figure is nothing to scoff at, as it implies that the DLC alone sold more than some standalone games.

However, it seems that this success was not without a significant sacrifice. Another slide states that the DLC went way overbudget, costing the company closer to the entire development of Pokemon Legends: Arceus. Game Freak was evidently not happy about this outcome, and the slide notes that they resolve to “keep the DLC at an appropriate scale commensurate with the revenue, and focus on achieving low costs”.

If this info is accurate, it could be that DLC for future games in the series will be scaled back significantly compared to what was done for Pokemon Sword/Shield and Pokemon Scarlet/Violet, for better or worse. Stay tuned for more updates as they come.

What do you think? Let us know in the comments.