Animal Crossing: New Horizons has dethroned the original Pokemon games as the best-selling games in Japan history. In 1996, Nintendo released Pokemon Red, Green, and Blue in Japan, changing the entire face of the video game industry in the process. Not only did the original Pokemon games greatly expand the life of the original Game Boy handheld, but they also started a worldwide phenomenon that continues to go strong to this day.
Pokemon fever propelled the original Pokemon games to a staggering 10.23 million units sold in Japan alone, securing them as the best-selling games in the country's history. For the longest time, the closest any games ever got to the original Pokemon Red, Green, and Blue were the sequels, Pokemon Gold and Silver, but now the games have been picked off their top spot by Animal Crossing: New Horizons on the Nintendo Switch.
After Nintendo shared its latest financial report, it was confirmed that Animal Crossing: New Horizons has reached 10.45 million units sold in Japan, kicking Pokemon Red, Green, and Blue from the top spot 26 years after their release. This is an incredible feat, to say the least, and it solidifies Animal Crossing: New Horizons as one of the biggest Nintendo games ever made.
There are some interesting factors to take into account when it comes to these sales numbers. Something that worked in Pokemon's favor was the fact that it was selling three different versions of the game, meaning that consumers were more likely to double dip than with other games. After all, catching all 151 Pokemon required trading between the various versions, so that definitely helped inflate the total sales numbers.
As far as Animal Crossing: New Horizons goes, it had the advantage of launching just as the COVID-19 pandemic was in full swing. With the entire world on lockdown, people were looking for entertainment to keep them busy. Many turned to video games, with Animal Crossing: New Horizons proving especially popular. Nintendo capitalized on Animal Crossing: New Horizons' unprecedented popularity with regular updates and eventually a paid DLC that added even more functionality to the acclaimed life sim game.
Since Pokemon reigned supreme for such a long time, it's unlikely that Animal Crossing: New Horizons is going to be knocked off its top spot at ny point in the near future. The upcoming Pokemon Scarlet and Violet stand a slim chance, but it's likely that Animal Crossing's best competition will be the eventual New Horizons sequel.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons is available now, exclusively for the Nintendo Switch.
Source: Nintendo Life