Japan Likes Pokémon Black More Than White

Pokémon games always come in two colours, and sometimes, it can be hard to decide which colour you like better. Choices between two versions of the same game usually come down to which exclusive Pokémon are present in both.

Pokémon Black/White take this concept further than version-exclusive monsters. The Black version has an exclusive area called Black City, while White contains White Forest. The cover art for both games, however, focuses on the two version-exclusive legendary Pokémon, Reshiram (in Black) and Zekrom (in White).

Nintendo recently reported sales figures for both games, indicating that Americans prefer the White version of the game. In March, Pokémon White sold 1.3 million units, while Black sold 1.1 million.

The situation in Japan is quite different, however. According to Japanese sales tracker Media-Create’s figures, by the end of 2010, Pokémon White had sold 2.3 million units, while Black sold 2.6 million.

Do the Japanese prefer Reshiram, or was there some other reason for the difference?

Food for thought:

In case you’re curious, the Japanese prefer Pokémon SoulSilver to HeartGold, just players in the U.S.