Animal Crossing: New Horizons has been a hit with players and has managed to entertain fans with updates and satisfying game mechanics. New Horizons was a critical success at launch but it has now been revealed that the title has also made a huge impact in terms of the gaming market. The title has now surpassed the likes of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and Pokemon Sword & Shield in terms of sales.
The Animal Crossing franchise is built on socializing with anthropomorphic creatures and New Horizons followed this trend by allowing players to build an idyllic island for potential residents. The game allows for a great deal of customization and as a result, many fans share their experience of New Horizons and this has built a strong gaming community around the title. This community around New Horizons and the content they have shared will have undoubtedly helped the title reach an impressive sales figure in just six months.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons has sold 22.4 million units in half a year and this is an incredible achievement when compared to the other statistics that Nintendo divulged in its recent financial data update. While Mario Kart 8 Deluxe has sold more units and has been a constant feature of the gaming charts since its release, that title has been out for three years and has only sold 4.3 million units than New Horizons. While this is a significant difference, New Horizons has plenty of time to catch up and become the best selling game of a generation.
To contextualize the success of the title alongside the Nintendo Switch which has sold 61.44 million units and this means that in a short time over a third of Switch consoles now have the Animal Crossing title.
Despite the staggering figure, it should not be too much of a surprise that New Horizons has been such a commercial triumph for Nintendo. It has been well documented that Animal Crossing: New Horizons has sold well during a period when video game sales have greatly increased. The fact that many are self-isolating during the coronavirus has added to the need for video games and it seems that a title based on socializing could not have come at a better time for most players.
With a thriving community and frequent updates, New Horizons looks set to grow in popularity. It will be interesting to see if the title can keep selling units or whether it will begin to hit its maximum reach. Nonetheless, this is an incredible achievement for Nintendo that the fans of the title will undoubtedly celebrate.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons is available now exclusively for Nintendo Switch.
Source: Nintendo