Nintendo Switch & Animal Crossing Sales Surge During Lockdown
Despite facing some supply chain issues, Nintendo has broken records with its newest Animal Crossing title and Nintendo Switch sales, as consumers look to keep themselves entertained during the COVID-19 lockdown. The company sold 21 million Nintendo Switch devices in FY20, representing an increase of 24%.
This was supported by the popular ‘Animal Crossing: New Horizons’ game title, which was purchased 13 million times despite only being released on the 20th March 2020. This makes it the best-ever start for a Nintendo Switch title, and surpassed the company’s expectations for both physical and digital sales.
To make the most of this surge in popularity, Nintendo has plans to release numerous seasonal events for the latest Animal Crossing game. This title currently costs $79.95 in Australia.
For context, ‘Animal Crossing: New Horizons’ has already exceeded total sales of the ‘Animal Crossing: New Leaf’ title, which was released back in November 2012.
Nintendo said that a high percentage of Animal Crossing players are in their 20s and 30s, many of whom “likely played past entries in the Animal Crossing series”. More than 40% of the title’s players are female.
In FY20 ‘Pokemon Sword’ and ‘Pokemon Shield’ sold 17.37 million units after being released in November 2019.
In total, Nintendo Switch software sales rose by a massive 42.3% in FY20, totalling over 168.2 million units.
In its earnings report, Nintendo stated: “Although the spread of COVID-19 impacted production and shipments in some regions during the fiscal year, the scope was limited. Nintendo Switch has been gaining momentum through the year, and has achieved widespread expansion compared to the previous year.”
However, the company has warned that there is still uncertainty about how COVID-19 may impact supply over the coming quarter.
According to Sensor Tower, the ‘Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp’ app, which is available for free on iOS and Android devices, recorded its best-ever month for revenue in April 2020, generating $7.9 million in player spending.
