Looks like Nintendo has another hit in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. In Nintendo's quarterly report, the gaming company revealed that New Horizons has managed to sell 11.77 million units. The report states that all figures are from the period that ended on March 31 of this year. Seeing as how New Horizons released on March 20, this means it managed to reach those massive sales numbers in in just 11 days.
This makes Animal Crossing: New Horizons one of the best-selling new Switch titles. For those following the figures, the game sold at least 1.88 million physical copies when it was first launched in Japan. It managed to beat out Pokémon Sword and Shield as the biggest Switch game to make its debut in Japan.
Despite being on the market for less than two months, Animal Crossing: New Horizons is now the seventh best-selling title for the Switch.
New Horizons is actually the fifth title in the Animal Crossing series. The first was, of course, Animal Crossing, which released back in 2001. It was then followed by Wild World, City Folk, New Leaf, and now New Horizons. There have also been a handful of spin-offs released including a mobile game.
The popularity of the latest version has been boosted, in a way, by the fact that many people are currently in quarantine. Imad Khan of the New York Times stated in a report that one of the strongest appeals of the game is that players can perform day-to-day tasks without any real world consequences. Children can engage in chores generally meant for adults while New Horizons offers some adults a sort of escape.
Celebrity Power
While the game does have its own appeal, it helps that many celebrities are into the game as well. Back in April, Elijah Wood was reported to have visited a player’s island in order to sell turnips. Using the name Elwood from Driftwood, the Lord of the Rings star appeared to be a model guest and even asked the player if he could pick a fruit rather than just take it.
Recently U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez also made the news after saying that she wanted to visit random people’s islands in the game. AOC not only visited the islands, but even left custom message on their respective bulletin boards.
A report by Matt Perez at Forbes said that it’s not just celebrities, as New Horizons has been serving as an alternative venue for many real life events. For example, a couple from New Jersey had to cancel their wedding, but managed to hold an in-game version. There are fashion shows and even talk shows being held in the game, among many others.
What about you? Do you play Animal Crossing: New Horizons? What are your thoughts about the game?
