Animal Crossing: New Horizonshas been a hit with players and has managed to entertain fans with updates and satisfying game mechanics.New Horizonswas a critical successat 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 ofSuper Smash Bros. UltimateandPokemon Sword&Shieldin terms of sales.
TheAnimal Crossingfranchise is built on socializing with anthropomorphic creatures andNew Horizonsfollowed 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, manyfans share their experience ofNew Horizonsand this has built a strong gaming community around the title. This community aroundNew Horizonsand the content they have shared will have undoubtedly helped the title reach an impressive sales figure in just six months.
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Animal Crossing: New Horizonshas 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. WhileMario Kart 8 Deluxehas 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 thanNew Horizons. While this is a significant difference,New Horizonshas 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 theAnimal Crossingtitle.
Despite the staggering figure, it should not be too much of a surprise thatNew Horizonshas been such a commercial triumph for Nintendo. It has been welldocumented thatAnimal Crossing: New Horizonshas sold wellduring 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 andfrequent updates,New Horizonslooks 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.
