'Animal Crossing' is on track to become the best-selling Nintendo Switch game ever after selling more than 26 million copies
- Nintendo sold 14.3 million copies of "Animal Crossing: New Horizons" between March and September.
- The life simulator game is on pace to become the best selling Switch game ever.
- Players turned to "Animal Crossing" for comfort and normalcy during a pandemic.
Nintendo is still a winner during the pandemic as "Animal Cross: New Horizons" and Switch sale continue to soar.
Between its March release and September 30, Nintendo sold 14.3 million copies of the hit game "Animal Crossing: New Horizons," for a total of 26 million copies sold. This puts the relaxing island game on track to become Nintendo's best selling ever — right now it is only behind Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, which has sold nearly 29 million copies since it was released in 2017.
The game couldn't have come out at a better time, as the newest edition in Nintendo's long-running franchise where players can create a campsite, complete small tasks, and meet neighbors. "New Horizons" came out on March 20, just as COVID-19 lockdowns and stay-at-home orders were going into effect around the world.
The game drops players on a deserted island, where they can design their home, catch fish, and develop the island. As Business Insider's Lisa Eadicicco put it back in March, the game "brings a sense of normality, routine, and social connection that's sorely lacking for many in this moment."
"New Horizons" became a place to be social and meet friends safely, and all kinds of events were held on virtual islands. Weddings, graduations, talk shows, and even presidential campaigning were in the "Animal Crossing" world.
Sales are also up for the Nintendo Switch. Between July and September, the company sold 6.86 million Switches, up from 5.86 million the previous quarter. In the early days of lockdown through the summer, the Switch was a hot commodity akin to toilet paper or hand sanitizer.
It was sold out everywhere, and coronavirus-induced supply issues, plus increased demand as people were newly stuck at home, contributed to the shortage.